What does everyday bravery look like? How can we take strength and inspiration from ordinary people doing incredibly brave things? Think about what it takes for folks like high school teachers and librarians to push back against book bans, knowing their jobs are on the line. Think about people showing up for their neighbors and community members who are being harassed or detained by fully militarized and masked ICE agents. Think about what it takes to organize Pride events in ultra conservative communities, where LBGTQ+ visibility is so important and where LBGTQ+ folks risk so much just to be who they are. Think about staff from the National Institutes of Health and Health and Human Services who recently posted a letter to their leadership demanding academic freedom and scientific excellence, as they and their colleagues lose their jobs.
Scientists - its time to be brave! We must stand firm in our commitment to rigor, to push back against further politicization of our work, to call out pseudoscience, and to ensure science is truly serving the public good.
take action
Solidarity with LA and everyone standing up for democracy!
Join a local rally on June 14th for “No Kings” nationwide day of defiance
Support NIH and HHS staff and sign their letter calling on NIH and HHS to deliver on its mission.
Continue to advocate for inclusion in science - use this advocacy toolkit from the Societies Consortium to End Harassment in STEMM
Join a weekly vigil on your campus (or organize one) for international students and all people who have been illegally abducted by DHS.
weekly win
The US courts continue to hold our shambles of a democracy together
A judge blocked the administration’s anti-DEI and anti-trans EOs
A judge issued a preliminary injunction that will restrict how the Department of Government Efficiency can access Office of Personnel Management databases
weekly wonder
Bedbugs have been our passengers for centuries
check it out
Funding to research vaccines, chronic diseases, and global health are disappearing (NYTimes, pay wall).
The use of AI in classrooms is out of control and the teachers are not ok
A scorcher of a federal update from the Education Counsel
And this is the moment we are in - what rubber bullets and tear gas do to the human body
Perennial reads
Understanding and addressing misinformation about science - National Academies of Science
book nook
Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser
all ears
On a lighter note, loving “Good Hang with Amy Poehler”
Supreme Court focused podcast “Strict Scrutiny”
we got the beat
Yes! Ramen!! (Hiromi’s Sonicwonder)
watch this!
We recently discovered Leah Litman and her inspiring “incandescent rage” on an episode of The Daily Show. Litman, a constitutional law professor at the University of Michigan, she also co-hosts the Supreme Court focused podcast “Strict Scrutiny” - new episodes drop Mondays.
…by the way
A little late, but KlimaSeniorinnen (Swiss women aged over 65) won a landmark climate change case in April 2024 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
🙃 TSA developing haptics to feel bodies in VR - no thanks