Visioning a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive SEB: Seeking partnerships with SoE and ISE

Session Type: 
Live 75 minute roundtable
Session Date and Time: 
Thursday, 13 May, 2021 - 10:45 to 12:00
Primary Organizer: 
Ashley Glenn
Organization/Affiliation: 
Missouri Botanical Gardens
Email address: 
Names of Additional Organizers: 

Aurora Prehn, Alex McAlvay, Morgan Ruelle, Ina Vandebroek

The Society for Economic Botany (SEB) recently formed a new subcommittee to address issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion (defined broadly). In our first meetings, we discussed the need to value and prioritize all kinds of diversity; recognize persistent colonial structures and systemic racism; uplift voices of those who have been sidelined, ignored and oppressed; and work proactively in service of social justice within our society and society-at-large. As our committee embarks on a process of recognition, reparation, and transformation, we are looking to partner with sister societies like SoE and ISE to help us identify and address these issues through our organizations and disciplines. The goals of this roundtable will be to listen and learn from each other’s experiences, to shape our missions and to identify specific actions to address these challenges. We hope to engage the SoE and ISE ethics committees to consider what we can achieve as a collective and that members of all three societies will contribute to this discussion. One possible outcome to explore is the feasibility of forming an intersocietal working group and platform.