Scientists strike to call out systemic racism in STEM

Scientists and academics are rising up against institutional racism.

As people all over the world come together in solidarity to protest systemic racism and police brutality, a coalition of STEM professionals and academics are calling on their colleagues to dismantle anti-black racism within academia and STEM. That work starts with a one-day strike.

On Wednesday, the organizers urge white and non-black STEM professionals and academics to take a day-long break from their Bunsen burners, meetings, and classes to educate themselves on anti-black racism. Like many calls to action after the police killing of George Floyd, who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, this is just the first step.

Scientists and academics also need to formulate a plan to hold themselves accountable (more on that below). Black people, not just those in academia and STEM, are encouraged to spend the day processing the emotional and physical effects racism has had on them.

"Our colleagues, broadly speaking, within STEM and academia don't participate in the work that's needed to eradicate racism," says Brittany Kamai, one of the shut down's original organizers and an astrophysicist. Some of that work includes educating oneself on racism, speaking out against discrimination, and hiring more black people. Ignoring the problem is problematic, she says, because STEM professionals and academics have a huge influence on shaping the world — from influencing science policies to writing textbooks to making recommendations to Congress to deciding who is "good enough" to join academia.

Of all the scientists and engineers in the U.S., only 3 percent are black men and just 2 percent are black women, according to 2015 data compiled by the National Science Foundation. Black students are also more likely than white students to switch out of STEM majors and earn a degree in another field, according to a 2019 study.

Kamai says all of the organizers, including Particles for Justice, a group of physicists, have been shocked by how many people have so quickly joined in — especially leaders of prominent STEM organizations. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has voiced its support for the grassroots movement as has the American Association of Physics Teachers. You can encourage people to participate, too, by using the hashtags #ShutDownSTEM, #ShutDownAcademia, and #Strike4BlackLives. Notably, the activists calling for a shut down exempt those whose daily activities center around finding a cure for COVID-19.

The Shutdown STEM website has several suggested resources, including:

• How to understand racism if you're a beginner

• How to dig deeper when educating yourself about anti-black racism

• How racism crops up in academia

• How to heal from racism if you're black

• Anti-discrimination organizations you can support

Kamai plans to spend the day educating herself and donating money to anti-racist organizations. As a Native Hawaiian person, Kamai says she's racially ambiguous so people can't always place her ethnicity.

"People will assume I'm black, people will assume I'm Mexican," she says.

Kamai's grandfather is a police officer in Hawaii, but she says she didn't learn to become afraid of the police until she came to the mainland U.S. Through living in places such as Nashville, Los Angeles, and Chicago, she saw the everyday discrimination black people face from law enforcement.

"This moment is about police murdering black people and how all of us, if we’re not working to eradicate racism, we’re perpetuating it,” says Kamai.

Of course, one day isn't enough to educate yourself on anti-black racism, how to fight it, and heal from its effects (these are all never-ending endeavors). But the coalition hopes the shut down will be a spark for people to continue this work every day.