Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

AIR Position Statement

At the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR), we pursue actionable solutions to local and global environmental problems. These solutions require a foundation in social, racial, and environmental justice. We stand with Black, Indigenous, People of Color, the LGBTQ+ community, and disabled individuals who continue to experience systemic and institutional discrimination and are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change and other major environmental problems. We aim to challenge oppressive systems, through our work and through our own personal behaviors, to support the transformation to an equitable society in Tucson, across the U.S., and around the world.

AIR, as part of the University of Arizona, sits on the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O’odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. As Arizona’s land-grant university and a Hispanic Serving Institution, the university has made a commitment to serve under-represented and Indigenous communities. This commitment is mirrored in AIR programs that focus on creating authentic relationships and engagement while striving to build healthy, thriving, and resilient communities.

AIR is dedicated to supporting and celebrating differences and multiple perspectives. As individuals and as an institute, we will identify and dismantle systemic discrimination and other forms of oppression. We will uphold, enforce, and go beyond the University of Arizona’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, challenge bias, and actively promote anti-discrimination, empathetic, and inclusive behavior of staff, faculty and students in our programs and projects. The principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are fundamental to the work we do within our institute and research programs, and with our community partners and networks that extend beyond the University of Arizona.