Black Lives Matter and Academia
Science is not above racism or politics. It isn’t neutral.
The news, particularly these days, is terrifying. So I want to acknowledge the Black academics who are trying to work and write in the midst of this heightened pain and frustration and anger and exhaustion and fear.
I wish I had the right words for what is happening.
I don't.
But as someone who strives to be an accomplice in dismantling racism, I need to call out the racist systems and structures and behaviors that are harming Black people.
Those systems are everywhere—including academia.
What we measure and how we interpret findings is filtered through our own biases.
Because who actually gets to do science?
Whose grants get funded and whose papers get published? Who gets cited? Whose kids get encouraged to pursue careers in science and medicine?
How about the evidence on racial disparities in NIH funding?
“In 2011, Ginther et al. reported a significant racial gap apparent in NIH R01 funding. That report noted the funding rate for R01 applications from Black/African American scientists was 10 percentage points lower than for all other groups after controlling for an applicant’s educational background, country of origin, training, previous research awards, publication record, and institution characteristics.”
And then, in a study published in 2019, the finding was that “topic choice” contributed to the lower funding rates for Black scientists.
Guess what? “Topic choice” is just another way of saying “this type of research isn’t important.”
And if you think that topic choice isn’t a glaring example of systemic racism, it’s time to do some more homework.
My point is this: what happens in the world around us is not and cannot be separate from what we do here - working on getting grants funded and advancing academic careers.
Because grants and publications are career currency—and the system governing that currency is inequitable and racist.
We need to dismantle those systems in our own academic backyard.
So yes, we talk about grant funding around here—but it is connected to the same racial injustice that sees unarmed Black men killed in the streets.
So the question is: what are we going to do about it?
I’ve learned from friends and mentors recently that if my anti-racist work feels safe and comfortable, then I’m not doing enough.
And that really shook me awake.
So in the coming weeks and months, I’ll be talking more about how I’m putting my values into practice in my work. As someone who operates at the margins of academia, there is more I can do to dismantle oppressive systems that lead to inequities in funding, publications, and career advancement for Black and Indigenous academics.
Weighing the risks of coming across as a performative ally vs. forcing people to ask me directly what I’m doing to combat racism, I’m choosing the former.
Here’s what I have done or am currently doing: reading and listening to podcasts about Black history, Indigenous history, and how to talk to children about racism; engaging in discussions with White family members, friends, and business owners about anti-racism; donating to bail funds, Black Lives Matter, non-profits and community organizations with anti-racist mandates (especially WISH Drop-In Centre here in Vancouver); amplifying Black voices on social media; buying from Black-owned businesses; un-learning my own racism; and requesting more from Canadian universities and funding institutions who have put out Equity, Diversity and Inclusion statements that don’t have any concrete actions attached to them.
Edited to add:
White academics, please take a look at the #BlackInTheIvory posts on Twitter describing the treatment of Black academics. The hashtag was started by Dr. Joy Melody Woods and Dr. Shardé M. Davis to bring attention to racism in academia. You can read more about the origins of the hashtag in this article in Nature.