Presented by Renata Rimsaite, water markets analyst, National Drought Mitigation Center.

As we are trying to work on our New Year resolutions, reflect on the wins and missed opportunities of the historically hard 2020, and become better versions of ourselves, we keep waking up in a society aching from injustice. Despite the overall cautious hope that perhaps we will start healing and focusing on unity, many in our society and community remain unheard. Challenges associated with inclusivity and diversity representation in many academic areas, including natural resource and agricultural sciences, stay persistent. The stagnation around solving the problem seems to be around the how, as the task is hard, complex, and uncomfortable. Splitting this task and focusing on the achievable next step might help the progress be less intimidating and maybe less impossible. In my talk, I will share my experiences from serving on the SNR diversity and inclusion committee (NRDI), including lessons learned from using a book club format to discuss the equity, inclusivity, and diversity issues with SNR students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. It would be great to use this opportunity on Thursday to have a discussion, to listen and learn from each other’s stories, and collect suggestions for the step that NRDI or each of us personally could take on next.