Late last week, a passionate conversation erupted around a critically important topic in the plant science community: diversity and the inclusion of minoritized groups in visible roles at conferences, including IPMB2022. ASPB has been tagged in the conversations, and our delay in responding—our silence—allowed an unacceptable situation to get worse. Although ASPB has been assisting IPMB with logistics and marketing for the event, ASPB has no role in organizing the program or making speaker selections. ASPB was also not involved in the communications from the IPMB Twitter account and by email to members of plant science community. We condemn those communications unreservedly, and as leaders, we should have intervened swiftly. For that failure, we are deeply sorry. We are profoundly troubled as an organization that scientists making significant contributions to our field continue to be subject to exclusion, and we find efforts to harass and intimidate those individuals to be completely abhorrent and unforgivable. This is why ASPB continues to work every day for a more equitable and welcoming plant science community. For those who are angered by IPMB2022’s actions and omissions, ASPB is with you, and we are actively reassessing our obligations to IPMB.
