One year ago, a few scientists residing in Sweden came together due to many recent worldwide events and personal experiences that have highlighted the need for equity, diversity and inclusion in academia (Urbina-Blanco et al., 2020; Manuel and Karloff, 2020; Reisman et al., 2020). We represent different career stages, and we work in different fields of science. Moreover, we all have different backgrounds and ethnicities. Open conversations have taught us this: a shift in academic culture and climate is needed to appreciate diversity and harness the power of inclusion. To support well-being and inclusiveness in academia, we established a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee at the Science for Life Laboratory (Stockholm, Sweden). In this essay, five of us share our stories and insights. We believe that creating strong connections of support and love can be life changing (A.V.), and that we need to prove diverse representation to thrive (A.R.-G.). Understanding all dimensions of diversity and fostering humans will create a more equal society (S.L.G.). We finish by explaining the power we have together: by being kind and helping one another we can improve academia for all of us (E.S. and L.D.).

Read the rest of this essay from the Journal of Cell Science here: https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/135/7/jcs259977/275020/Uniting-diversity-to-create-a-more-inclusive