The Black Science Coalition and Institute (B-SCI) was formed to address systematic racism within the STEM community. Our vision is to support aspiring and established Black and underrepresented scientists in support of pushing the boundaries for all people and scientific discovery. 

 

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, thousands of Donald J. Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. This occurred after Donald J. Trump held a rally in front of the White House in which his actions incited insurrection to challenge the United States Congress as they certified the election results after months of undermining a lawfully conducted election. Similar actions and speeches had already inspired a terrorist attack in Philadelphia, PA, the home of B-SCI, that was thwarted with the goal of attacking the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City, where votes were being tallied by election officials.

 

This comes after the Summer of 2020, in which the assault of a Black birder in New York sparked the Black in X movement by some of our friends and colleagues of similar organizations and the death of George Floyd which sparked a renewal of the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet, the response to the Black Lives Matter movement was met by aggressive tactics by law enforcers and the president.

 

As images of the Capitol Riot reached social media, one thing was clear, the response to this crowd of largely White Americans was not of the same tone. Where the largely Black, yet highly diverse, Black Lives Matter crowds stood for racial justice, the preparation by federal and local law enforcement agencies viewed them as hostile. In contrast, within the mob that stormed the Capitol, there were armed citizens who acted aggressively towards law enforcement with the intent to harm elected officials, which resulted in several deaths. However, law enforcement did not prepare for this demonstration with the same tactics employed on various Black Lives Matter demonstrations, including those that took place on the National Mall, even though members of the Capitol Riot openly organized on various social media platforms for several weeks prior.

 

The president's actions incited a seditious crowd and open forms of violent racism as he seeks to overturn a lawfully conducted democratic election, the results of which have been certified by all 50 states. Thus, the Black Science Coalition and Institute urges the Vice President, members of the Executive Branch and Cabinet, and the United States Congress to invoke the 25th amendment and immediately remove the president from office. 

 

--The Board Members of the Black Science Coalition and Institute