While science came into favor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, largely replacing faith as societal authorities, the scaffolding of racism has remained embedded within the discipline of science. The first step to making long-term changes to scientific practices is to establish the history of racism within science. The second step is to examine ways in which institutions of higher education, scientific journals, and other organizations have perpetuated harm on communities of color. Recognizing a history of excluding Black students in scientific pursuits will help illuminate opportunities for inclusion. As such, the Committee to Improve Racial Diversity and Inclusion (CIRDI) was approved in the fall of 2020 by the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). The charge for the committee was to implement initiatives to increase the representation and participation of racially diverse groups in ASA, build awareness of the value of DEI amongst members, and improve the sense of belonging of underrepresented minorities in ASA. The Summer Undergraduate Research and Internship Experience in Acoustics (SURIEA) was established the same year to increase the capacity of ASA to attract, prepare, and support students from racially and ethnically diverse groups for success in acoustics.