Academia in the US does not look like the people it should be serving. Though the situation is slowly and very belatedly becoming less bad, we still have a major overrepresentation of those who are white, male, cis-heterosexual, and able-bodied. It is still exclusionary, and often downright hostile, to people who don’t fit this mold—and the fewer of these boxes you check, the harder it gets to succeed. Black and Indigenous scholars, in particular, are forced to play the Academia game on Very Difficult mode, while others cruise along playing on Easy.
This is a critically important problem. In terms of Science, we are missing out on a massive talent pool. Scientists from minoritized groups bring unique and innovative perspectives (e.g. see here and here) that are crucial to scientific discovery. As Isabel Wilkerson writes in Caste, "the full embrace of all humanity lifts the standards of any human endeavor."
It's also a problem in terms of social justice, because those people who are being left (or pushed) out of academia matter. Despite the fact that white people and power structures have been saying otherwise since before this country was a country, Black people matter. Indigenous people matter. Immigrants matter. One perhaps comparatively small, but still important part of ‘mattering’ is being able to participate in the scientific enterprise. It’s fun! You get to make discoveries, teach people, and learn for a living! That’s something everyone should be able to attain, and thrive in.
As I’m getting ready to start a lab in 2022, I’ve been thinking about ways to address these obvious needs with actions. Thankfully, a lot of smart people have already thought deeply about this (e.g., here)! In the forthcoming lab website, I’ll share some resources and what the Hammer Lab is doing to help. Feel free to email me if you'd like to discuss further.
This is a critically important problem. In terms of Science, we are missing out on a massive talent pool. Scientists from minoritized groups bring unique and innovative perspectives (e.g. see here and here) that are crucial to scientific discovery. As Isabel Wilkerson writes in Caste, "the full embrace of all humanity lifts the standards of any human endeavor."
It's also a problem in terms of social justice, because those people who are being left (or pushed) out of academia matter. Despite the fact that white people and power structures have been saying otherwise since before this country was a country, Black people matter. Indigenous people matter. Immigrants matter. One perhaps comparatively small, but still important part of ‘mattering’ is being able to participate in the scientific enterprise. It’s fun! You get to make discoveries, teach people, and learn for a living! That’s something everyone should be able to attain, and thrive in.
As I’m getting ready to start a lab in 2022, I’ve been thinking about ways to address these obvious needs with actions. Thankfully, a lot of smart people have already thought deeply about this (e.g., here)! In the forthcoming lab website, I’ll share some resources and what the Hammer Lab is doing to help. Feel free to email me if you'd like to discuss further.