 | FRONT AND CENTER PLANT SCIENCE |
Our Story The Front & Center initiative has been developed to highlight and address the unmet needs of plant scientists who encounter racism in their pursuit of knowledge and discovery. Due to the persistence of racism in science, scientists who identify as Black, Indigenous & Latine continue to be underrepresented, underserved, and undervalued. Our mission is to center our service, advocacy, and impact to: 1.) Increase the visibility of Black, Indigenous, & Latine Plant Scientists. We will be featuring thumbnail portraits of self-nominated Black, Indigenous & Latine Plant Scientists here and on an independent Instagram account: @FrontandCenterPS. 2.) Build a safe community for these scientists to connect with and support one another. We are launching “Adventitious Roots”, a private Slack Channel, which will feature a diversity of ways to engage with other Black, Indigenous, & Latine Plant Scientists.Our goals are for Black, Indigenous, & Latine Plant Scientists to be seen, heard, belong, and have agency within the plant science community. Over time, we plan to continue to add channels and resources to this page. If you have ideas for new resources or would like to form a group to help increase visibility and support for additional marginalized communities, please reach out to us at frontandcenterps@gmail.com . |
Adventitious Roots If you’re currently a Black, Indigenous, and Latine plant scientist, consider joining our Safe Space Slack Channel to seek advice, support, or a listening ear. This is also for those who have navigated these institutions and have a wealth of experience, advice, and knowledge to share with newcomers. Lastly, this is a place to vent frustrations without retribution. Learning happens through trial and error and finding support from people who have shared experiences. We hope this Slack Channel can provide a safe space for you to connect with and learn from others. In addition to the Slack Channel, Adventitious Roots also has a Discord server. This server has text and voice channels open for discussions, venting, advice, etc as the main content for the server. Over time, we hope to also have networking and social events, like game events, watch parties, Q&A with more established scientists, and others. Our goal is to cultivate a thriving, helpful community that transcends borders and, maybe, some of these connections can extend in real life, such as at conferences. A safe space is a space that cultivates conversations with respect and productivity! Interested in joining? Fill out this form. |