[Joint Subreddit statement posted on r/AskHistorians]

30 or so Reddit communities have joined together to make a joint statement in defense of US research. This comes from people with real expertise: in addition to the depth of research talent involved in these communities, Dan Howlett has signed the statement, with CAT Lab's Sarah Gilbert contributing.

"The NIH is seeking to pull funding from universities based on politics, not scientific rigor. Many of these cuts come from the administration’s opposition to DEI or diversity, equity, and inclusion, and it will kill people. Decisions to terminate research funding for HIV or studies focused on minority populations will harm other scientific breakthroughs, and research may answer questions unbeknownst to scientists. Research opens doors to intellectual progress, often by sparking questions not yet asked. To ban research on a bad faith framing of DEI is to assert one’s politics above academic freedom and tarnish the prospects of discovery. Even where funding is not cut, the sloppy review of research funding halts progress and interrupts projects in damaging ways."

It ends with a call to action:

"We will not escape this moment ourselves. As academics and moderators, we are not enough to protect our disciplines from these attacks. We need you too. Write letters, sign petitions, and make phone calls, but more importantly talk with others."

This is a serious moment, and this statement should be taken seriously. Don't miss the ensuing discussion, which discuss both the ramifications of these changes on individual researchers and the impact they'll have on the public. For example:

"My wife is an ecologist at the USGS. She has days before she is fired. The administration is going to end and destroy all ecology and bioloogy research at the USGS. It's in Project 2025. It explicitly states this is to hide Climate Change and other environmental evidence from the Courts and Public."

It's pretty bleak stuff.

#Democracy

[Link]