From:
Monona Rossol <0000030664c37427-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] [EXT] Re: [DCHAS-L] Respect in DCHAS-L
Date:
Dec 16, 2022 21:10 UTC
Reply-To:
Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com>
Message-ID:
<324609660.794086.1671225016331**At_Symbol_Here**mail.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To:
<CO1PR17MB5385A53846F1B06716ED51C0EBE69**At_Symbol_Here**CO1PR17MB5385.namprd17.prod.outlook.com>
I look forward to working with you all. We have the same objective, just slightly different ideas about how to get there. Monona
-----Original Message-----
From: Gmurczyk, Marta <M_Gmurczyk**At_Symbol_Here**ACS.ORG>
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Sent: Fri, Dec 16, 2022 12:51 pm
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] [EXT] Re: [DCHAS-L] Respect in DCHAS-L
Dear Monona:
Thank you so much for responding! I am not sure how much our ACS DEIR staff workshops were made available to the Division members, but I truly found our ACS DEIR efforts sincere, educational and real. During a number of the workshops available
to us staff we had ample time for deep conversations. Most important, I felt that these workshops created very safe spaces for us to share, ask and reflect. I found these opportunities very transformative. We learned from each other and forged deeper
connections. I myself had many realizations about my own biases, privileges and ignorant assumptions. I felt secure and I did not feel judged during these not easy conversations.
I am grateful Monona that you wish to participate in this truly important ACS effort and share your perspective. I am connecting you with Dr. Racquel Jemison, who would be able to gather you insights so possibly additional opportunities
and resources are provided to the Divisions as we all do our best to embrace ACS value of DEIR.
Thank you Monona.
Marta
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
On Behalf Of Monona Rossol
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2022 12:07 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] [EXT] Re: [DCHAS-L] Respect in DCHAS-L
Marta, I agree with you that this is an important discussion. I am concerned that the real diversity objectives are being lost in translation. And after rereading
the ACS DEIR statement, I can tell you that when it comes up for review, I will want to get involved in defining terms to make sure it also makes sense to us old folks who still use dictionaries.
Maybe it would help if everyone realized that none of us chose to be born into the life that we were given. Maybe it would help if we just assumed that most of us
did the best we could with our understanding at the time. And diversity trainers should be aware that their "students" may include significant numbers of us that were also harmed by discrimination and/or that were working to make things better long before
they required us to relearn English to some shifting and undocumented standard and for which they are the unelected arbiters.
Monona
ACS Staff and Member here
đ
Just a reminder that as the ACS Members and ACS Community we are aligned with the ACS cores values, one of them being:
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR)
We embrace and promote diversity in all its forms, not only to create a more inclusive environment for the practice of chemistry, but also to provide fair and
just outcomes for all to achieve their full potential. Inclusion of and respect for people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and ideas will lead to superior solutions to world challenges and advance chemistry as a global, multidisciplinary science.
More ACS context related to DEIR can be found in the
As far as the evolving DEIR language, ACS has published an excellent Inclusivity Guide at
This is important discussion and I agree that context is very important. I also feel ACS has done a lot of solid work to define this context and it is now up to
us ACS members to walk the ACS talk to create safe and supported communities aligned with the ACS DEIR core value.
Great example. The nub is:
I may be
right that urban means city - but (i) since language requires context to be understood, (ii) language continuously evolves as humans attempt to capture complex meaning with a finite number of words, and (iii) who has gotten to express their experiences
using our shared language has been a function of power dynamics, I find that it is both important for us to carefully and intentionally define the terms we are using AND learn from how other people are understanding terminology.
And conversely, the writer could indeed have been using "urban" only to mean "city" or a dense population within the geographical limits of a city. Hell, the study
population could have been an urban enclave of second-generation Norwegians.
Where I depart from your modest and self-effacing answer is that I question the presenters' assertion that the writer is probably referring to population of black
or brown people. And since so many studies now are done by people who are non-English primary speakers, that assumption simply can NOT be made. The writer may not be using "our shared (and shifting) language," but instead may actually be writing in English
using words as defined.
The best answer here is to look at whether or not the study provides any information about the study population other than location of domicile. If that is the only
factor, the study is probably a little shallow.
Keep thinking. You do it very well. (And that's something I respect). Monona
The thing about language is that it is constantly evolving - which is also why it is important to define the terms you are using. This is something everyone learns
in âResearch Writing 101â - when in doubt about how a term will be received, define it before proceeding with the argument.
I had a really interesting situation arise a few months ago. I was in a meeting in which we were discussing publication guidelines that are meant to address biases
in writing. We went through an exercise in which (i) a statement was presented, and (ii) replacement statements were listed as options as was the option âthis statement is fineâ or something along those lines.
I have one question that came up which really baffled me. I got it wrong because I said the statement was fine as is. When we discussed the exercises later, I brought
up the specific question to ask the group.
The initial statement had to do with studying an urban environment. The alternative statements were all versions of replacing the word âurbanâ with defining the populations
being studied based on race. There was no context given for the initial statement, so it was unclear to me whether this was a paper about an urban environment or a paper about particular racial groups in that environment.
(For context, I am a nearly 39 year old white female who grew up in a lower income neighborhood that was predominantly made up of Asian and Latin populations in Southern
California. I have spent many years involved, one way or another, in movements to advocate for things that make a population-dense environment relatively easy to traverse without the need for a personal motor vehicle - examples include sidewalks, good lighting,
bicycle lanes, mass transit. I know lots of people who have studied in programs and worked in jobs that address such issues. The word âurbanâ is used regularly in names for those programs & those jobs because it means âa population-dense environmentâ otherwise
known as a city. In these circles, the word âurbanâ has quite literally always meant city or population-dense area.)
I selected that the original statement was fine because the replacement statements changed the context of the statement. I had others in the group explain to me that
the word âurbanâ has often been used as code to refer to black people - or sometimes more broadly, non-white people. Listening to this explanation, I did recall that I have heard jokes in popular media in the past in which an older white person who does not
live in a city would refer to a black person as âurbanâ - however, I have no actual understanding of how widespread this was or whether this has continued in the vernacular for younger generations. Someone else pointed out that there are radio stations that
use the word âurbanâ in their names. I agreed - but figured that had to do with identifying with a cityscape, not necessarily with race. They then asked âyeah, but what kind of music tends to be on radio stations that use the term âurbanâ? It tends to be rap
music stations - a musical genre that is dominated by black artists.â I acknowledged the truth of this and mentioned that it wasnât surprising that this association would exist in the US because of the racialized nature of changes to housing that has occurred
over the last several decades in the US. Having said that, the urban planning literature has plenty of examples around the world of using the term to only mean âcityâ (i.e. even if a city is populated 100% by white people, it is still an urban environment).
What was useful about this interaction was pointing out that we have to think about the context of our language. Language is complex and is constantly evolving. I
may be right that urban means city - but (i) since language requires context to be understood, (ii) language continuously evolves as humans attempt to capture complex meaning with a finite number of words, and (iii) who has gotten to express
their experiences using our shared language has been a function of power dynamics, I find that it is both important for us to carefully and intentionally define the terms we are using AND learn from how other people are understanding terminology. I have also
found this extremely important when attempting to translate between scientists and safety professionals - for both groups do really enjoy creatively contributing to language :).
NSF Graduate Research Fellow (2018-2021)
Joint Safety Team, Founding Member (2018-2021)
Pinkhassik Group, Department of Chemistry (2016-2021)
University of Connecticut
ACS CHAS PEER-LED WORKSHOPS
The Workshop ACS CHAS Empowering Academic Researchers to Strengthen Safety Culture is being held next on March 5, 2023!
Follow this link for more information and to register: https://LSTWorkshopMarch2023.eventbrite.com
The Workshop ACS CHAS RAMP in the Research Lab is being held next on April 13, 2023!
*Message sent from a system outside of UConn.*
Actually, my union's diversity training is my story of an instance in which I was disrespected in my workplace. They don't know me and yet made all kinds of assumptions
about my feelings, thoughts, and actions in the past. I can't tell you how wrong they were.
They talked in a social media jargon with which I'm not familiar and put me down for not understanding. It is like being in a world where no one speaks your language,
and they demand you learn a new one on the spot. You did that same thing to me just now when you took the CSA definition of respect and called my pointing out the difference with the classical definition from the dictionary "petty."
I'm not just being argumentative. I am really concerned about the backlash I'm seeing in this country to diversity. I'm all for diversity. But I'm not for the
kind of presentations the people promoting diversity are doing. They are currently driving the well-meaning older generation into the opposite camp. You need us on your side. And most of us want to be there.
I have hopes you will consider presenting this at your meeting and opening a discussion on it.
Iâm disappointed that when I post an invitation for people to contact me with stories of their negative professional experiences, the majority of the responses take
petty issue with terminology.
I am certain all readers are aware of the connotations of the word respect beyond the first dictionary
definition. Indeed, ACS uses it in the same manner I do in its official publications: âRespect ensures that each person is treated with professionalism, integrity, and ethics underpinning all interactions.â [https://www.acs.org/about/diversity.htm]
It has been made known to me that some of our younger Division members are reluctant to post to DCHAS-L and even to contribute to ACS
Chemical Health & Safety because they feel they may be disrespectedâtreated uncivilly, if you preferâby others on the list. I would ask all Division members to keep that in mind when responding to posts.
To return to my intended topic: If you have a story of disrespect in safety work (whether you were disrespected or doing the disrespecting) that has a useful lesson
for others, particularly those just coming into the profession, please feel free to email me privately at dkuespert**At_Symbol_Here**pm.me.
-------------------------------------------------
Daniel Kuespert, PhD, CSP
Member, American Chemical Society (ACS)
Member, ACS Division of Chemical Health & Safety (CHAS)
Associate, CCS, 2021-2022
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