To our supporters, staff, the STEM community, and to our students and their families,

We grieve the deaths of those killed in a racist attack in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday—Roberta A. Drury, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield.

This was not a random act of violence. The 10 people who were killed and three more who were injured, almost all of whom were Black, were targeted in an act of terrorism motivated by white supremacist ideology.

We must understand this horrible act in the broader context in which we live, where racist violence, particularly against African Americans, is on the rise, and injustice against communities of color is all too commonplace.

The work to be done to address racism and racist violence in our country is immense and the change required is deep. To succeed will take efforts that many have resisted, indeed, that many continue to actively thwart.

Although the racism we're fighting at BEAM takes a different form, it is undoubtedly an interlinked part of a broader societal ill. We are determined to be part of moving society forward in a positive way, even as we know our part is just one small piece.

Our determination is inspired by our lived experiences and those of our students and families, who deserve the best we can do. The work we do, creating pathways for students from historically marginalized communities to become scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists, is rooted in antiracism and justice-seeking.

TO OUR STUDENTS WE SAY:

  • We remain determined to help you access the STEM opportunities you have earned, so you can take your rightful place at the table.

  • We remain determined to help you reshape what we as a society think a mathematician or a scientist looks like, talks like, thinks like.

  • We remain committed to helping you achieve your dreams in math and science and to celebrating those achievements with you.

  • We remain committed to making sure that BEAM centers the needs of our community, and to supporting our students, families, staff, and the broader STEM community in work that is explicitly antiracist and always seeking justice.

  • We remain determined to speak out with you about an educational system that does not provide equitable opportunities to all.