MIT on Black Lives Matter

I'm so proud of my alma mater.  Not because of its big name, but because of our incessant strive to learning, searching for new frontiers, new knowledge, openness, fearlessness for discussions, and active implementation.

Hi David Like many of you, we have watched the events of this past week unfold with heavy hearts. We feel outraged at the injustice of what happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery---and Atatiana Jefferson,  Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, and far, far too many others that may not have received press coverage. Unfortunately, none of these is an isolated incident. Instead, each heartbreaking story highlights the widespread discrimination that has plagued our society for generations. Deeply rooted themes of continued inequalities in education, access to health and human services, economic opportunities, liberty, and justice persist in everyday experiences. We, MIT alumni of all backgrounds, stand and choose to advocate for fair treatment of the Black community in the United States. We choose to care, seek to understand, and support social justice actively. We see the pain on Black faces and hear the fatigue in Black voices. This is a time for us to listen and bring what comfort we can to our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family. It is also a time to reflect, discuss, learn, and understand the context and history. We must identify and act on ways to break the prevalent themes of injustice, discrimination, and racism. Our shared values as MIT alumni can help as we move forward. We strive to be a community defined by MIT’s values: Excellence. Meritocracy. Boldness. Humility. Curiosity. A passion for difficult problems. And a strong desire to do good for society. The continued unequal treatment of Black people by law enforcement and elsewhere has no place among these values.  We have the desire, skills, training, and collective power to create change in our community. We can do more to ensure we build an inclusive culture in MITCNC itself. This means recognizing the context people are in, contributing to a supportive and collaborative space for constructive dialogue and action, amplifying voices that are too often brushed aside, and celebrating and honoring our diversity. MITCNC’s mission is to further the well-being of local MIT alumni by connecting them with each other and by fostering a continuing relationship with MIT. Here are 6 concrete steps we can take immediately:  Take a more concerted effort to ensure diversity in the speakers we invite to our regular programming.  This includes our AI Conference, our professional track speaker series, our AI Idol - startup pitches, and Startup Mentor Services. We want to amplify and feature Black entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, problem solvers making a difference.  Please nominate speakers.  Provide a forum for constructive dialogue and a platform to collaborate to make a difference.  Our Slack channel (#blm) and Facebook group can be used for discussion on how to use our skills to promote inclusion and equality. Our podcast, MIT Catalysts, should be a platform to elevate all MIT voices, especially those that historically haven’t been heard enough. Please recommend guests - podcasts@mitcnc.org  In the coming weeks and months, we are planning events around the innovative use of data and technology in addressing the systematic imbalance. (If you have ideas, click here). We continue to grow our MITCNC leadership team - and look to bring in more Black leaders to this team.  If you have suggestions or would like to join the team please contact us.  A library of links where you can find ways to learn, understand, and support - https://www.mitcnc.org/black-lives-matter/ These six steps are only a start. If you have additional ideas or feedback - please email us at mitcnc@alum.mit.edu We encourage any of you who did not have the opportunity to watch the live MIT vigil to take the time to watch the recorded webcast. To our fellow Black alums - you are not alone - we are in this together. We will find tangible ways to help and to do our individual and collective part to make a better world.