On June 5, 2020, the coalition simultaneously launched separate written calls for a strike and shutdown at strikeforblacklives.com and shutdownstem.com Archived 2021-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, which provided resources and information about the day and its aims.
As part of the #ShutDownSTEM and #StrikeforBlackLives activities, researchers around the world were encouraged to stop usual academic work for a day: to read and engage with resources that challenge them, take responsibility to be anti-racist, and to create space for people who experience racism to be able to heal.
[3][4] In the build up to the event, Particles for Justice released a statement saying,"We recognize that our academic institutions and research collaborations—despite big talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion—have ultimately failed Black people.
[6] The Particles for Justice organisers of Strike for Black Lives were Brian Nord, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Matthew Buckley, Kyle Cranmer, Djuna Croon, Daniel Harlow, Seyda Ipek, Sam McDermott, Matthew Reece, Nausheen R. Shah, Brian Shuve, Tracy Slatyer, Timothy M.P.
On June 10, thousands of academics, professional bodies, and institutions came together to take part in what was identified on social media and in the press as #ShutDownSTEM, #Strike4BlackLives, or the Strike for Black Lives.