Change is a depressingly long time in coming.

People don't read this blog for moralizing, and I surely don't have any particular standing, but staying silent out of concern for saying the wrong thing isn't tenable.  Black lives matter.  There is no more stark reminder of the depressingly long timescales for social progress than the long shadow cast by the US history of slavery.  I have to hope that together we can make lasting change - the scale of the outpouring in the last week has to be a positive sign.  The AAAS announced that on Wednesday June 10 they will be "observing #shutdownSTEM, listening to members of our community who are sharing resources and discussing ways to eliminate racism and make STEM more inclusive of Black people. www.shutdownstem.com. We encourage you to join us."  It's a start.