📣 To feedback about the 2020 Christmas Lectures, please email us [email protected] and please don’t abuse our speakers.

A thread —
Some of you may be aware that since our announcement of Prof Chris Jackson as one of our 2020 Christmas Lecturers, he has experienced unacceptable and hateful racist abuse, particularly on twitter.
When we announced Prof Chris Jackson, Dr Helen Czerski and Dr Tara Shine as our Christmas Lecturers this year we were so excited. As ever, they are all experts in their scientific fields.
We anticipated celebration for their known excellence, their commitment to public engagement, and for Chris being the first Black Christmas Lecturer, making important progress for representation in science.
For those who ask why it’s important to note the fact that Chris is our first Black Christmas Lecturer, it’s because it helps to highlight the everyday and systemic racism that puts up barriers to inclusion for Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, personally and in science.
Representation matters. Chris, as a Black man in science, and Helen and Tara, as women in science, represent just some of the people in STEM. We're pleased to reflect STEM’s true diversity in the Lectures and highlight the Lecturers’ excellence in science to our young viewers.
While the Ri respects the right to free speech, we do not tolerate abuse or harassment of our speakers, nor comments that are racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ageist, ableist, defamatory or otherwise derogatory:
https://www.rigb.org/home/comments-guidelines.
We know that we can do more to improve diversity at the Ri and you can read about what is, frankly, a work in progress on our website https://www.rigb.org/about/news/autumn-2020/ri-diversity-statement?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social.
We can’t change our past, but those of us who work here know that it’s not representative of the Ri of today.
The Ri and diversity

Last year we placed ‘demand diversity’ at the heart of the Ri as one of four new values, here we explain why and what we are doing now.

https://www.rigb.org/about/news/autumn-2020/ri-diversity-statement?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
A huge thank you to all of you who have shown your support for Chris, Helen, Tara and the Lectures in these last couple of weeks 💛 We're very lucky to have you and them. The Xmas Lectures will be amazing.
You can follow @Ri_Science.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:
Those who think consciousness raising & movement building are disconnected, or even a distraction from electoral politics have not paid attention to the history of social change.In this thread, we
Read more
The 2020s will be known as the Remote Work decadeA few predictions of what is likely to emerge[ a thread ] Third Space: Office and Working from Home will
Read more
1/29: Have you ever had a concept explained to you that helps frame complex issues you’ve been wrestling with and opens your eyes to new possibilities? A concept that I
Read more
By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.