Jabrane Labidi
Université de Paris, IPGP, CNRS, France
As the son of immigrants in France, I have experienced first-hand the challenges of establishing a new life in an unfamiliar culture and as a somewhat visible minority. My parents were not given the opportunities that I received. Particularly my mother experienced unfair treatment due to the specific intersection of her ethnicity and gender, an Algerian woman in France. I owe my academic achievement to those who saw through my differences and provided the extra help required for me to succeed. However, the field of Earth Science is arguably the most gated of all STEMs. Other STEM fields are not even particularly inclusive. As a North African man, my activism for justice comes from a place of solidarity with my black and brown peers. In light of recent and not-so-recent events, particularly targeting our black peers in and out of academia, I take my contribution to the EAG’s DEI Committee as a chance to do the work to ensure our exploitative model in academia is curbed by the inclusion of diverse communities. My activism also focuses on indigenous people robbed of not only their land and self-determination, but also of their voice in academic circles. I am proud to coordinate community activities and provoke accelerated change with my peers within the EAG DEI Committee.