Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility

FAMS’s Diversity Statement

The Florida Association of Museum Students (FAMS) is committed to promoting Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility  (IDEA) within the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) and throughout the broader academic disciplines with which our members are associated. Our aim is to create opportunities for and provide a platform to uplift marginalized and oppressed people and communities at the Florida Museum and to foster a welcoming and inclusive student community within the Department of Natural History. This aim is centered realizing Black liberation, knowing that if Black people are free all other marginalized group and oppressed people will be free. We would like to build a bridge to facilitate better communication and relationships between folks in the Education and Public Programs, McGuire Center, and Dickinson hall. One of the ways in which we will work to achieve this is by providing student representation on the Departmental IDEA committee and the Florida Museum–wide IDEA committee, collecting and distributing resources on IDEA within our department and respective research fields to the students, and supporting the creation of funding and opportunities for people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. We will be mindful of members from marginalized groups with intersectional identities within our department, fighting for mandatory education on IDEA for all staff and students and the creation of IDEA–related positions within our department.  

After the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the realization that Black people were being killed by white people, in June 2020, FMSA sent out a letter to the Florida Museum Community and conducted a survey asking for pledges. We had 148 students, faculty, staff and post-docs in our department sign to “support promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion across the Florida Museum”. Additionally, 142 people supported a list of benchmarks that were meant to promote DEAI initiatives in our department, including the creation of funding sources for diverse and underrepresented students to conduct research and support travel and a departmental Chief Diversity Officer. For more information on these benchmarks, the survey, and the results click here. 

Our organization was formed by graduate students, founded by Adania Flemming, for all students in the museum to create a better sense of community to connect individuals across the museum. We are dedicated to ensuring all students within the museum feel safe, respected and have the necessary resources to have their voices be heard. Therefore, we are here to lend a hand and stand up together to promote a truly diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive community among both museum students and the greater natural history community. The members of our board are here to support our fellow students. We hope that you will reach out and join us to be a part of the change we wish to see in the museum. Our contact information is: studentassociation@floridamuseum.ufl.edu.  

Below you will find some resources, videos, and images that promote IDEA in an academic setting and in our day to day lives. We encourage everyone to look at them, and to be mindful of their actions and words as we work towards achieving a more Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable and Accessible Department and University. Please take the time to sit with your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. 

This is a living document that we hope to change and edit as we learn and work together. 

Understanding Different Perspectives

Sometimes having conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility can be daunting and it may be difficult to know where to start. We’ve included the video below as a starting point for some of these conversations with the help of a snail and caterpillar going out to party. We invite you to sit with your feelings here and think about your positionality and the privileges you hold.

Thinking About Racism

Have you been thinking about race and your positionality in Academia?

What thoughts and questions come up as you think about promoting diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion?

Please explore the scale below to see where your thoughts and feelings fall out on the scale.