Sentiments of a Black Scientist: Letter to My White Colleagues
Dear (White) Scientists,
Over the past few weeks, we’ve all been awakened by the injustices in this world. Since we now feel moved to action, I want to remind everyone that for years, if not decades, your Black colleagues have been painfully aware of the dismal statistics of Black students in the sciences, and particularly in the earth sciences.
Personally, I’m conflicted. On the one hand, I want to commend those who have stepped up; on the other hand, I am disappointed by the timing of this renewed sense of wrongdoing, or, shall we say, white guilt. It has taken locking everyone in their homes for three months, taking away their lab work and labor, spending time with their loved ones, the death of George Floyd who didn’t get to choose his martyrdom, and the social movement that followed to realize that we may have a diversity issue. This is precisely what your colleagues of Color (myself included) and diversity committees have been trying to do, but since I have your ear now...
“Clearly, this was never Black students’ or Black professors’ problem to fix - it was yours - and you’ve failed for far too long. Please hold onto that reminder after you close this letter but preferably for the rest of your career.”
The reality is that this pain and urgency you are feeling is nothing new for your Black colleagues, students, and friends. The injustices Black Americans face are something every Black parent prepares their child for from birth. Some of those Black children rise to become exceptional Black students. A fraction rise to become Black college students. A smaller fraction find meaningful mentorship to become Black graduate students. An even smaller fraction feel encouraged to pursue a career in academia, only for you to decide that none of them are good enough for your departments.
That journey is a lonely, exhausting, and frustrating one, or at least it has been for me. I’ve spent a third of my short life talking about diversity in STEM, but so many people dedicate their entire lives to this. I applaud them, because trying to find success in academia is hard enough when you are not also trying to change it for the better.
At the end of the day, I’m only one Black graduate student in an institution built by generations of white academics in a country built by generations of racism. I now know my singular voice was never enough, nor was the collective voice of all Black scientists. Clearly, this was never Black students’ or Black professors’ problem to fix - it was yours - and you’ve failed for far too long. Please hold onto that reminder after you close this letter but preferably for the rest of your career.
You have the privilege to choose when you want to listen, reflect, and act on diversity in STEM. Because you have chosen, for now, to listen, can I make a suggestion? Rather than replying with sympathy, stories, and silver linings, develop a plan for what you’re going to do to change. Realize that you are no longer the expert, and listen to all your students, staff, post-docs, colleagues, and friends of Color. Document what they’re saying, because many of them represent the change you wish to enact. Create measurable actions, milestones, and goals that you as a faculty member, department, and discipline will meet. Finally, in the future, long after protests of both injustice and police brutality have subsided and your privilege has allowed you to forget the issues of diversity in STEM, use that document to remind yourself that Black academics never stopped fighting for change and that we, as a discipline, still have a long way to go.
Sincerely, a Black Scientist,
Charles Scaife
PhD Candidate of Environmental Sciences
University of Virginia
Charles Scaife is PhD Candidate in Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia and a science policy fellow working in Washington, DC. When's he not trying to understand climate change and its impacts on our forests and waterways, he's trail running, practicing yoga, or binge-watching a new series.
Twitter: @wateryousayin
This story is part of an ongoing series, Surviving PWIs for POC, about the experiences of students of Color in higher education. The series is edited by Shanice Arlow. If you are interested in submitting a piece for this series, please contact Weave News here.
