The McMaster Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology strongly promotes intersectional equity, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom, research lab, department, university, and broader scientific community. As members of one of the leading research institutions in Canada, we affirm that diversity leads to better science and that accessible and equitable education provides a critical foundation for a just society. We believe that the values we promote within our department shape our community and the scientific endeavours we participate in. It is therefore our responsibility and our moral imperative to strive to build more just and equitable communities both locally and globally.

Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is guided by the following values:

1. The pursuit of equity requires actively dismantling barriers and remedying disparities that have resulted in the underrepresentation of equity-seeking groups in our field. It is not merely a passive rejection of past attitudes but rather a deliberate process of building a more equitable and inclusive department.
2. The pursuit of equity is a continuous process of learning and improvement, not a journey with a fixed endpoint. We commit to educating ourselves and others and to re-evaluating departmental norms and practices on an ongoing basis.
3. The pursuit of equity must be systematic, transparent, and informed by data. We commit to maintaining open dialogue within our community about this work and to seeking out both qualitative and quantitative data to guide our activities.
4. Leadership and advocacy for the pursuit of equity is real work that brings significant value to our community. We commit to supporting and recognizing this work, and to providing opportunities to take on these roles for those who are interested.

We acknowledge that the statement of these values means little without concrete action. In our Terms of Reference, we lay out the specific actions our department’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee commits to undertake in order to work toward a more accessible and inclusive departmental and scientific community.