Featured Stories in Diversity: Personal narratives of overcoming obstacles to inclusion and implications for the Geosciences

Initial Publication Date: May 17, 2021

Project Background and Story Submission

Do you have an idea, experience, observation, or request regarding diversity, equity, and/or inclusion in the Earth Sciences that you would like to share with the greater NAGT community? The NAGT DEI committee actively seeks stories, thoughts, impressions, and artwork relating to discrimination in all its forms, as well as the opposite: stories of giving or receiving support, overcoming challenges, points of pride, experiences of belonging, etc.

For the purpose of this project, "diversity, equity, and inclusion" includes, but is not limited to: racism, sexism, ableism, classism, and genderism. Stories may include the experiences of being subject to the above, subjecting others to the above, and/or unique experiences specific to one's own identity that one wishes the Geoscience Community had more awareness of.

Read the Stories Contribute a Story

Project Goals:

  • Elevate diverse voices, experiences, and perspectives
  • Reveal underlying systemic issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our community.
  • Provide a platform for membership to share their personal stories to build a sense of belonging that encompasses our full identities.
  • Inspire both reflection and discourse regarding how these experiences impact our personal and professional lives and actions.

Submission Format

  • May be up to 400 words or a single image, video, or audio file (appropriate resolution for web viewing). Preferred document types include:
    • Text: word, pdf, .txt
    • Image: jpg, png
    • Video: mp4
    • Audio: mp3
  • If submitting a video or audio file, we ask that you keep it to under two minutes in length.
  • All submissions should be accessible, including
    • Videos should include captions
    • Images should include alternative text
    • Images should not be copyright-protected
  • Contributions may be either authored or anonymous.

Dissemination of Stories

  • Stories and multi-media submission will be compiled into a periodically updated web gallery on NAGT's website and shared at the Earth Educators Rendezvous.
  • Additional outlets may include social media, websites, conferences, articles (e.g. In the Trenches, EOS), in-person displays, compilations intended for classroom use, or similar
  • Sharing of stories will often be thematic. For example:
    • Stories related to racism during Black History Month
    • Stories related to sexism on International Women's Day
    • Stories related to ableism on the anniversary of the ADA

Selection for distribution will take into consideration

  • The variety of submissions received:
    • We hope to share stories that are thematically different from one another
    • We hope to share stories provided in a variety of formats
    • We hope to share both positive and negative experiences
  • Relevance to the NAGT community:
    • While the project is not limited to our professional lives, stories directly related to teaching and education will be given additional weight when selecting a subset of submissions to share at the Earth Educator's Rendezvous
  • Language that expresses hate, defamation, or encourages violence towards a person or group will not be accepted
  • Submissions must adhere to the NAGTEthics Policy, and in particular "Geoscience educators and education researchers should treat all associates with respect, encourage them, learn with them, share ideas honestly, and give credit for their contributions."
  • The committee reserves the right to decline to publish stories that do not align with the intent of the collection and/or do not align with the ethics policy of NAGT.

Please reach out to nagt-diversitycommittee@serc.carleton.edu with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the project.