Statements & Resources

Fred Hutch Cancer Center is committed to becoming an antiracist* institution. In this endeavor, we are determined to strengthen and deepen our efforts that affirm the equal rights, value and protection of Black people — in the streets, on our campus, and in our science. To that end, we will identify any policy, practice, or behavior at the Hutch that reflects anti-Black racism and dismantle them, holding ourselves accountable in these efforts. Black lives must matter in our science, our recruitment, our institutional climate, and our influence. Therefore, we commit to the following actions:

• Actively work toward an inclusive and sustainable workplace climate that affirms our Black employees and partners.
• Identify and utilize Black community networks in Seattle and nationwide, along with our other talent sources for all our searches.
• Actively pursue and support a scientific agenda that seeks to understand and decrease disparities in cancer, infectious diseases, and other related disease research impacting Black people.
• Allow our science to guide us in taking private and public stances toward racial justice in public health and scientific concerns that matter to the Black community.

We take these specific actions in alignment with our collective antiracist efforts to pursue meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Hutch.

*Anti-racist: one who is supporting anti-racist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea.

Fred Hutch Cancer Center affirms the dignity of every human being to name their identities for themselves and to resist categorizations that deny their freedom or self-determination.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable organizational culture where all women, people of all genders, trans, nonbinary and genderfluid individuals are empowered to thrive. We recognize and celebrate the exceptional contributions of nonbinary and trans people, as well as women to our society, in science and at our center and the inclusion of all genders as essential to every advancement in human endeavor, and to the cures we seek. We stand against harassment, exclusion, misgendering violence, diminishing and devaluing behaviors and words — in our labs, our lobbies and our leadership. We strive to root out androcentrism, sexism, heterosexism, transantagonism, patriarchy or any of their oppressive entanglements; with keen attention to the subtleties of workplace culture that sometimes reify these degradations. We stand for all humanity, excellence, duty and devotion.

As an organization and community, we will activate our resources to remove barriers and develop pathways that expand the definition and inclusion of all genders in our operations. Further, we will interrogate our scientific work to that end. We make these commitments and take these actions in alignment with our aspiration of being an anti-racist institution.

Fred Hutch Cancer Center stands against antisemitic hate and violence. We honor the history, culture, faith commitments, contributions and the identity of Jewish Americans. We reject harassment, vandalism, and all acts of violence that are recurring toward the Jewish community and that surge during times of heightened social and geopolitical actions. In the United States, people of Jewish heritage are targeted by anti-religious hate crimes at extreme disproportionate levels. There is no justification for antisemitic bigotry at any time or season.   

As we stand with our fellow Americans, neighbors, friends, and family; and stand up for our shared humanity, we commit to cultivating a work environment at the Hutch in which faith and cultural practices can be acknowledged as part of the wholeness of an individual, worthy of respect. We recognize that in embracing the wholeness of ourselves — individually and collectively — we are energized to be innovative and determined in our daily work. We make these commitments toward our efforts of being anti-racist, inclusive, and equitable in our humanitarian and scientific mission. 

• Honor everyone’s decision to participate in this process of honest, open sharing and active, deep listening 
• Seek to understand before being understood; respect diverse opinions 
• Be aware of air time (listen, speak briefly, share the space) 
• Assume best intentions; understand intent vs. impact 
• Expect to be uncomfortable as you lean into your learning zone (make room for growth)
• Take responsibility for your own learning; avoid leaning on target group members for your education '
• Maintain confidentiality: share your learning without naming anyone 
• Engage with the head and the heart; question what you hear, think and feel
• Honor individual experiences as real; there are no experts in social justice work 
• Remember that ideas and opinions can be fluid
• Allow participants the “option to pass” assuming best intentions (rather than judgment) 
• Use “I” Statements

The Diversity Equity & Inclusion Core invites you to engage in dialogue that acknowledges experiences, identities, ideologies, and power at 3 levels:

• Personal/Interpersonal: Acknowledges thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors
  
• Cultural: Acknowledges shared values and norms
  
• Structural: Acknowledges policies, practices, systems and institutional structures

Everyone is invited to participate. All Hutch community members are invited to share their pronouns along with their names during introductions, if they so choose. This cultural practice will normalize opportunities for community members to share the pronouns they use and for the community to honor that information. 

The responsibility of the convener. It is important for the convener of a meeting to make room for others to share their pronouns if they choose by modeling sharing the pronouns they use during the introduction exercises. (We use ‘they’ as a singular, non-gendered pronoun here.) This practice pushes against the norm of assuming gender identity and expression and what has been socially understood as corresponding pronouns. There is a growing number of people in the workplace (and specifically at the Hutch) who do not currently or will not in the future identify with the gender that others ascribe to them. It is important that engaging a pronoun practice is fluid. That is, no one should feel pressured or obligated to share their pronouns — as each individual, and especially those who do not use traditional binary pronouns and are most vulnerable, will determine for themselves how safe and comfortable they feel about sharing pronouns at each opportunity. However, the convener of a meeting holds a bit more responsibility in demonstrating that there is room to make that choice (and always with the option to pass). The convener can demonstrate this by simply sharing their own pronouns, sharing and inviting others to do so if they wish, and/or inviting attendees to offer whatever information is important to them in their introductions. Cis men and women are more privileged in gender spaces and should consider how they would like to lean in to create a more inclusive space for all to participate in and do their work.

In virtual meeting spaces, it may be possible for meeting attendees to update their username to include pronouns. Remind participants of that opportunity. 

If no pronouns are offered, refer to the person by name. You may also use the general singular pronoun descriptor “they.” 

The Fred Hutch Rainbow Employees for Equity (FHREE) employee resource group has educational resources and guidance on using pronouns in email signatures. Employees may contact FHREE for more information.

Accessibility: Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible, including people with disabilities. Greater accessibility brings benefits to everyone and creates communities that are more inclusive.

White Supremacy: White supremacy is the institutionally enforced system of racism. It is historically based on: 1) the theft and military conquest of native lands of North America; and  2) the economic exploitation of North American land through slavery. Institutional racism/white supremacy is the network of institutional structures, policies and practices that create advantages and benefits for whites, and discrimination, oppression and disadvantage for people of color.

Anti-racist: Being an antiracist begins with understanding the institutional nature of racial matters and accepting that all actors in a racialized society are affected materially (receive benefits or disadvantages) and ideologically by the racial structure. This stand implies taking responsibility for your unwilling participation in these practices and beginning a new life committed to the goal of achieving real racial equality.” (Bonilla-Silva, 2003)

Privilege: Systematic favoring, enriching, valuing, validating and including of certain social identities over others. Individuals cannot “opt-out” of systems of privilege; rather these systems are inherent to the society in which we live.

Identity: Refers to either (a) social category, defined by membership rules and (alleged) characteristic attributes or expected behaviors, or (b) socially distinguishing features a person takes a special pride in or views as unchangeable but socially consequential.

Diversity: Individual and social (group) differences that contribute to dynamic relationships and interactions. Understanding each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. Encompasses acceptance and respect.

Equity: Belief that people have basic needs that should be fulfilled; rewards should be spread evenly across the Community; and that policy should be directed with impartiality, fairness, and justice towards these ends. Creation of opportunities for historically underrepresented and currently marginalized populations to have equal access to and participate fully in educational programs and other offerings that are capable of closing the gap in experience and achievement.

Inclusion: The act of creating involvement, environments and empowerment in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate with equal access to opportunities and resources embrace differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people. 

Taken from various sources. By the nature of the document, it is not complete and should not be considered comprehensive.