We at Liberty Science Center are sickened by the systemic racism, violence, and police brutality that have endured far too long in this country.

Denouncing racism is not enough. We acknowledge the need for us to do more to embrace diversity and equity in our own field of science engagement and science education.

Our mission at Liberty Science Center is to inspire young people of all backgrounds to get more involved with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We take this mission very seriously. Over the past three years, we have partnered with 2,513 schools and delivered programs to 270,000 K-12 students from the neediest communities in New Jersey. During the Covid-19 shelter-in-place, we pivoted to delivering free live science programming online, and have made our virtual school programming available first to students from schools in low-income neighborhoods.

We know that we can always do better for students from groups that are underrepresented in the sciences. We own that we can do better, must do better, and will do better.

We are committed at LSC to having the internal conversations, finding the right external partners, and taking the actions necessary to be better at science engagement with all youth, but particularly with black and brown youth from across the state of New Jersey. Our charge is to get more students of color excited about science and into the pipeline to careers in science and engineering.

We welcome your ideas and your help. Please reach us at change@lsc.org.

Onward and upward,