To our students, alumni, colleagues, and fellow scientists around the world:

A number of events this year have illuminated the deep seated problems of racial inequality and injustice that is pervasive in America. We witnessed protests around the country in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and many others. Most recently, NDSU has been rocked by revelations of hate speech and actions targeted at black students and other people of color. The ongoing violence, intimidation and hate targeted towards our students, faculty and staff of color are unacceptable.

We affirm that the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is fully committed to creating and supporting communities of learning and a working environment that include all and condemn bigotry, racism, violence and exclusion of Black, Indigenous and all People of Color (BIPOC). We recognize and celebrate the valued contributions of everyone in our University. We are united in our community of scholarship and further state that all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or sexual identity, are welcome to be present and to engage together in our common missions.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry pledges to develop and uphold practices that support an inclusive environment and condemn hatred and racism.

We commit to:

•   Acknowledge that BIPOC students and colleagues face trauma, fear and distrust in our society and on our campus.

•   Listen to and include the voices of BIPOC students and colleagues.

•   Create an environment where students feel safe to be in their element and excel in science and academics.

•   Strive to remove barriers to success in our procedures and policies that disadvantage underrepresented groups and promote exclusion in our classrooms, our laboratories and in our communities.

We are united in solidarity and stand with you.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Land Acknowledgement

We collectively acknowledge that we gather at NDSU, a land grant institution, on the traditional lands of the Oceti Sakowin (Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda) and Anishinaabe Peoples in addition to many diverse Indigenous Peoples still connected to these lands. We honor with gratitude Mother Earth and the Indigenous Peoples who have walked with her throughout generations. We will continue to learn how to live in unity with Mother Earth and build strong, mutually beneficial, trusting relationships with Indigenous Peoples of our region.