GEM SBCCI

The Sam Bingham Community Cares Initiative (SBCCI) was introduced in 2021 as a permanent component of the GEM workshop activities. Equally important as the plenary sessions and Focus Group sessions, the Community Cares Initiative is the “third leg” that provides stability for the “three-legged stool” which is the GEM community. It is as an umbrella event under which we hold multiple community care events that represent the community.

The first Community Cares event was held in 2018 in Santa Fe, during which we were trained to understand and how to handle micro-aggressions. The event was the culmination of a community effort working to acknowledge that none of us are perfect, and that only when we talk about our issues we move forward. The next year, 2019, we organized the first Under-Represented Minority lunch event during which Paul Cassak led an engaging and productive discussion on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

In 2020, the world was hit with COVID . Together with everything else that came with it, our community was saddened by the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Sam Bingham. As a reaction to this loss, we came close at a time when everything else was drifting apart. The participation during the virtual events that took place right before and during the virtual summer workshop was overwhelming. It was clear that we were more than just honoring Sam’s memory. We needed to support each other, and Sam brought us together. We vowed to work hard to reach out to each other. To ask the simple question, “How are you today?” During that workshop, an initiative by Drew Turner to talk about Mental Health and the resulting “Support Each Other” Slack channel produced an outpouring of awareness and action in the community that brought discussions about DEI and mental health to the forefront.

In preparation for the 2021 GEM Virtual Workshop, the GEM SC formed a DEI subcommittee to find speakers to talk about DEI and Mental Health during the workshop. It became clear that there was a need for a permanent and equally important third component in our workshop’s agenda that reflects the community beyond our science, something that provided a forum for discussions on the ever-evolving needs of the community. As a result, the GEM Sam Bingham Community Cares Initiative (SBCCI) was established, named in honor of our colleague Sam. Sam embodied all that we aspire for our community: Inclusion, kindness, caring, wide interests, and standing up for others were his trademarks. It was for these character traits that the GEM SC decided to name Community Cares initiative after him.

SBCCI is working closely with FG leads to ensure that they consider DEI principles in their activities.

Some of the SBCCI activites that GEM has organized:

  • Micro-aggressions plenary
  • Diversity in the workplace plenary
  • Bystander intervention training
  • Implicit bias training
  • Meeting Culture training
  • Gender tracking
  • Pronouns included on badges
  • The GEMEE mentorship program
  • “Queer Beers” social event