Walk is a celebration of Argonne’s core values of respect and teamwork.
Unity Mile walkers pass by building at Argonne. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.)
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory hosted a We Are Argonne Unity Mile walk in celebration of Pride Month on June 1. The Unity Mile reaffirms the laboratory’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility and honors the unique identities of each member of the laboratory community.
The walk for unity represented a joint effort of a number of the laboratory’s employee resource groups (ERGs), who together create a space where members of the Argonne workforce can find community.
“We want to show that we are proud of who we are, proud of where we work and proud of the community that we belong to here at Argonne,” said Nathan Rogers, User Program administrator for the Advanced Photon Source, a DOE Office of Science user facility, and co-chair of Argonne’s Spectrum ERG, which supports LGBTQIA+ employees.
The role of the ERGs, which also include the Argonne African American ERG (AAA-ERG) and Argonne’s Women in Science and Technology ERG, is to help form a community of employees who feel supported at work and valued as individuals.
“Our intent is to celebrate each other,” Rogers said. “Even though this is just as simple as showing up, we want to show that we do show up for each other and celebrate all of who we are.”
“This event really speaks to Argonne’s commitment to an intersectional approach, where our core values of respect and teamwork come to the forefront as we create a place where everyone’s identity is celebrated,” said Justin Breaux, social media producer and analyst, and president of the AAA-ERG.
“Argonne deserves credit as a workplace that values each individual and their unique backgrounds and contributions,” Rogers added. “Pride is, at its core, a celebration of authentic existence, and this event is directly in keeping with that theme.”
“This is a time to commemorate our past accomplishments and to summon drive for the challenges still in front of us — to raise awareness and support — and create an intentionally inclusive space where we can thrive as our full and authentic selves,” Rogers said.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.