ASM Recognizes and Celebrates Juneteenth

The American Society of Mammalogists recognizes and celebrates today – Juneteenth – in support of black mammalogists (https://blackmammalogists.com/) everywhere!  The ASM is committed to supporting mammalogists and students from groups historically marginalized in sciences.  In 2020, the ASM worked with organizers of Black Mammalogists Week (https://blackmammalogists.com/#organizers) to create the Black and Indigenous Scholars Award (https://www.mammalsociety.org/committees/human-diversity) to raise awareness of the global community of Black mammalogists, to illuminate the historical and present-day contributions of Black mammalogists to the field of Mammalogy, and to provide opportunities for current and aspiring Black mammalogists across the Diaspora to form conscious, fruitful, forward-viewing connections.  The ASM shares with originators of Black Mammalogists Week a vision of a future where young people of all backgrounds will realize that they are not only welcome, but indeed are needed and vital parts of a fully grounded science of mammalogy.

We look forward learning with and from the first recipients of ASM’s Black and Indigenous Scholars Awards. 

Check out Dr. Nyeema Harris’ article “How Culturally Significant Mammals Tell the Story of Social Ascension for Black Americans” in Scientific American (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-culturally-significant-mammals-tell-the-story-of-social-ascension-for-black-americans/).