FIRST Team 1816, “The Green Machine”, is proud to represent the city of Edina, the greater Twin Cities area and the state of Minnesota. On May 25, 2020, Mr. George Floyd was killed during an encounter with the Minneapolis Police Department.
Our community, and country, has been dealing, once again, with pain, anger, frustration and grief because of the enduring racism and injustice that so profoundly impacts the health and safety of members of our community.
Our team, and FIRST Robotics, talks a lot about the importance of culture change. We strive to create a space where everyone is safe, respected and heard. Unfortunately, we are all part of a broader community where many members of our community are not safe, are not respected, and are not heard. There are large racial disparities throughout the country in income, education and health outcomes, with some of the largest in Minnesota.
Our collective work in inspiring young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators does not take place in a vacuum. In order to fulfill our mission, and to strive to live up to our core values, we must do more, we can do more, and we will do more, to create the safe, supportive, and healthy community for all that we expect and deserve.