Statement Against Racial Injustice

The Puritz Lab of Marine Evolutionary Ecology firmly states that Black Lives Matter.  We want to make it clear that we value the Black students, staff, and faculty members in our URI community, and that we unequivocally value all Black lives in our communities and beyond.  We recognize that this country has systemic racial oppression and colonialism built into its foundation, including our state, our university, our funding sources, and the institution of science itself. With this recognition, we will actively work against these systems by speaking and acting out against inequities and injustices.  To our Black community within and beyond URI, we see you, we hear you, and we are with you!     

As a lab, we are committed to providing and fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for all of our participants that allows them to be their entire self at work.  We also recognize that a diversity of perspectives is critical to the progression of science and education. We must educate ourselves about the history of racial oppression, recognize our own intrinsic biases, commit to reshaping our minds, and grapple with our own mistakes.  We are committed to taking this path, listening to Black students and the Black community, continually educating ourselves, perpetually reflecting, and being ready to change course to make our group better.  Our work in this regard is never finished, always striving and always progressing, much like the science in our group. 

Our lab is committed to making our words actionable. Following further discussion as a lab and with groups within our university and community, we are forming a living document with past, current, and future actions to combat inequality and codifying our values in the lab’s Code of Conduct.  

Signed by all members of the Puritz Lab of Marine Evolutionary Ecology,

Natalie Ameral

Jacob Green

Megan Guidry

Nina Padro

Maggie Schedl

Anna Sorgie

Nadia Moss

Amy Zyck

Jonathan B. Puritz

Link for poster