The Neural Control of Movement Society is deeply saddened by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and so many more Black Americans. These tragic events are clear evidence of systemic racism, violence and discrimination. Yet the events of explicit racism and police brutality are but symptoms of the larger issue of structural racism. Covert discrimination and micro aggressions must also be recognized and addressed. This is a very painful and difficult time for the Black community and other minorities around the world; the leadership of NCM stands with those minorities in demanding equality for all people, regardless of race, creed, sex, or color.
We must acknowledge that the NCM community, being overwhelmingly white, is far less diverse than is ideal. Most of us can’t begin to understand the feeling of being discriminated against daily, on a systemic level. We must educate ourselves and each other to learn about racism, and to recognize our own implicit biases. However, we are also called to use the privilege of our position not only to listen and learn, but to act. With the goal of improving representation and membership of Black students and scientists within our society, we intend to further increase our budget for minority fellowships for meeting attendance, begin a targeted recruitment effort at historically Black undergraduate institutions, and institute policy changes to increase the diversity of our leadership. With these changes we hope that NCM can help make progress toward better inclusion within the sciences and society