Statement of Solidarity
People in the US and around the world are coming together to protest against institutionalized racism and racialized violence. We, too, cannot remain silent and continue with ‘research as usual’. We recognize that racism and discrimination are a genuine problem both in Germany in general and in German academia in particular. We acknowledge the underrepresentation of BIPoC* in the scientific community, as well as the inequalities they face in that community, and we express here our commitment to fight against these inequalities.
Within our own institute, the Zukunftskolleg, we want to critically reflect and act upon the repercussions of racism inherent in our societies and institutional structures. We will:
- Create a jour fixe series on institutional racism in academia, led by experts
- Diversify our curriculum through the increased inclusion of texts and research by BIPoC in teaching
- Provide certified training to our fellows on racism, unconscious bias, and diversity and gender competence
- Acquire expert consultation on our selection processes for fellowships and provide training to those holding decision-making positions for other grants and funding instruments within the Zukunftskolleg (such as members of the Executive Committee)
- Increase the outreach to BIPoC and advertise our funded programmes (postdoctoral fellowship, research fellowship, senior fellowship, research visit, mentorship) more widely, as well as further advance the programme of ZUKOnnect Fellowships
- Review the progress on all these measures in the last EC meeting every academic year in July and make the progress report public to ensure transparency
*Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour