itsokaytobesmart

Our Commitment to Anti-Racism

Added 2020-06-02 20:05:42 +0000 UTC

Today, It’s Okay To Be Smart and Spotzen (our production company) stand in fellowship with the black community and voice our support for anti-racism, not only in science, but everywhere in the world.

It’s Okay To Be Smart celebrates curiosity, learning, rational thinking, and the sharing of ideas. And right now we believe the most important idea we can highlight and share is the continuing problem of systemic racism and violence toward black people.

As scientists and as people who love science, we seek truth always. Therefore, we must acknowledge racism everywhere we see it, from police violence to the inequalities in STEM fields.

We know that actions speak louder than words, and on behalf of the show and the people who make it, we are donating to the following organizations:

Black Girls Code: An organization that introduces computer coding lessons to young girls from underrepresented communities
Center for Policing Equity: An organization using research and data science to shed light on police behavior and disparities in policing through partnerships with law enforcement and communities

Building diversity requires us to be active, not passive. We are committed to more diversity in the experts we interview on and off camera, in our collaborators, and in the science stories we share.

Our voice is not the voice that matters most right now. Please join us in elevating important black STEM voices on and off YouTube by posting black creators and science communicators in the comments.