You may have seen an email from the Executive Committee last week commenting on issues surrounding structural racism. This week the INFORMS Board of Directors also approved that same statement, which I am sharing with you below.
Words cannot express the range of emotions we are experiencing in witnessing recent events of senseless death and violence. Further, the pandemic has laid bare the economic and health disparities in our society and the disparate impact it is having on our minority communities, particularly African Americans. Many members of our community have witnessed or have been directly impacted by incidents ranging from blatant racism to unconscious biases to health disparities – all of which are hurtful and unacceptable. Know that we stand with you and we will do our all to lead the fight against all forms of racism and other discrimination and injustice.
INFORMS is deeply committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. We encourage all to find a peaceful path through the minefield of discrimination by listening to each other and building an understanding of other perspectives. We believe in embracing our differences and working together towards a better future. And we recognize that complacency is no longer an option. This is a call to action.
There is no better time for us to bring these issues to the forefront of what we do now, collectively, professionally, and personally. The INFORMS community has a special role to play given our capacity through data, models and analytics to address systemic societal problems. We can mobilize our expertise and experiences and bring about change through education, research, and policy action both within INFORMS and society at large.
We would like to hear from you about the ways in which INFORMS can be a more equitable and inclusive society. We encourage members to reach out and support one another. We urge members to find ways to get involved and be part of the solution. In the few next weeks the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the Minority Issues Forum will begin sharing ways you can make a difference now. We hope it will begin a dialogue on opportunities for us all to do more.
Working together we can move mountains, a stone at a time.
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Melissa Moore
Executive Director
INFORMS
Catonsville MD
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