The FSUCML community condemns the persecution, systemic racism, and violence faced by Black Americans in this country since its inception, regardless of who bears the responsibility for carrying it out. The murders of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Larnell Bruce Jr, and countless others, painfully highlight the deeply ingrained racism that permeates American society and other societies around the globe. We acknowledge and stand in solidarity with our black students, staff, faculty, and friends and say to all that Black Americans and indeed all people of color must be recognized, must be heard, and above all deserve equal protection under the law.

While our faculty body consists of both US and international researchers, we recognize that it is not representative of the racial diversity that encompasses our local communities, much less communities that exist elsewhere in this country and abroad. The FSUCML will work with the Florida State University Diversity and Inclusion Council to recognize inequities, seek solutions, and ensure a space that is free of bias and prejudice. We are committed to increasing representation of people of color; and in the broad field of marine and coastal science, we will continue to actively promote inclusivity.

We recognize that institutionalized racism exists in academia and elsewhere, and we will strive to amplify the voices of all people of color in the academic arena, in our state and federal natural resource agencies, and in our local communities. We understand that statements are only words.  Yet we are committed to backing these statements with action and being held accountable for those actions.  Today, we start our work to ensure a future of equal representation for all within our community, no matter how broadly that community is defined.

Felicia Coleman, Dean Grubbs, Sandra Brooke, Jeroen Ingels, Cheston Peterson, and Maddie Mahood