#ShutDownSTEM/#ShutDownAcademia and #Strike4BlackLives
On Wednesday, June 10th, 500 Women Scientists will be participating in the #Strike4BlackLives, pledging to #ShutDownSTEM and #ShutDownAcademia. The strike has been co-organized by Particles for Justice and ShutDownSTEM. The goal is:
“For Black academics and STEM professionals, #ShutDownAcademia and #ShutDownSTEM is a time to prioritize their needs— whether that is to rest, reflect, or to act— without incurring additional cumulative disadvantage... #ShutDownAcademia and #ShutDownSTEM is the time for white and non-Black People of Color (NBPOC) to not only educate themselves, but to define a detailed plan of action to carry forward.”
As scientists, we are trained in doing the research. As members of 500 Women Scientists, we have pledged to apply that expertise to ensure that science is serving society by making science open, inclusive, and accessible. Eradicating anti-Blackness and rooting out systemic anti-Black racism is central to that mission and vision — and to the lives of our Black community.
Please note, however, that we recognize some of our members are working to address the current COVID-19 pandemic or have other responsibilities or considerations that preclude them from participating. We thank you for your service and for keeping up the vital work.
Below, we have shared what some of our leadership members will be reading and doing while we strike, and as we keep up this work. This list is by no means comprehensive, but rather a place to start.
WHAT WE WILL BE READING
ShutDownSTEM.com has put together a list of resources for those who are new to this work, those looking to dig deeper, and Black scientists and academics looking for ways to heal.
You can also see our resources for communicating about #BlackLivesMatter.
Many of our leadership team will continue their reading on what it means to defund the police — and how we can reallocate resources to invest in our communities:
“Defund the Police” by Annie Lowrey in The Atlantic.
Minneapolis-based MPD150 has a list of resources to orient you around what public safety without policing might look like, as well as resources on the history of police violence in Minneapolis
Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States by Schenwar et al. with a foreword by Alicia Garza. The e-book is available for free here.
The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale. The e-book is available for free here.
Critical Resistance’s infographic outlining the differences between police reform versus abolition
A sampling of what we’ve been reading about the history of anti-Black racism in academia and STEM fields
“How Racism Creeps into Medicine” by Hamza Shaban for The Atlantic
“George Floyd's Autopsy and the Structural Gaslighting of America” by Ann Crawford-Roberts, et al. for Scientific American
“Making Black Women Scientists under White Empiricism: The Racialization of Epistemology in Physics” by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
“Scientific Racism: The Exploitation of African Americans” by Aqilah Elshabazz-Palmer in Intertext
Longer reads
Superior: The Return of Race Science by Angela Saini
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya Umoja Noble
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil
Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities by Craig Steven Wilder
Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-First Century by Dorothy Roberts
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
For those of you with kids, see Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup and Antiracist Baby
ACTIONS
Set an out-of-office reply for the day with a list of what you will be reading and/or doing to raise awareness around the strike and the need to root out anti-Black racism.
Cancel your meetings and classes you teach on that day explicitly stating you’re participating in the #Strike4BlackLives, pledging to #ShutDownSTEM and #ShutDownAcademia.
You can also take the time to think about how to address anti-Black racism and advocate for anti-racism when you meet again. If you’re a data scientist, for example, think about how you can incorporate de-biasing analyses into your lesson plans, meetings, etc.
Call on your department, committees, institutions, and scientific societies to make a statement in support of advancing racial justice and anti-racism, if they haven’t made one already. Silence is never neutral.
If they have made a statement, but it does not contain concrete actions they are taking, this is an opportunity to pressure them to explicitly state intended actions to ensure transparency and accountability. We’ve listed some possible actions for institutions here.
Create a concrete action plan for your university, organization or scientific society that includes firm timelines and explicit working groups. Outline of potential actions described in the “Call for Robust Anti-Racism Plan for the Geosciences”
Organize anti-racist trainings and workshops for faculty and staff
Consult with experts in the field and pay them for their time and expertise; if you borrow from existing curricula, cite your sources and compensate them for their work
Research how to establish a seminar for undergraduates and graduate students that will focus on how science was built on systemic racism, colonialism, and bigotry
Join or support organizations committed to anti-racism. ShutDownSTEM.com has compiled a list of some organizations.
Tap into local organizations that have been tracking legislations and budgets related to policing. Develop a plan for how you can support their work and get involved.
Spend the day educating your children on how to be anti-racist and show them by example, at a protest and in daily interactions
Decolonize your syllabi. Critically examine the scientists you amplify through your class readings, lectures, and activities. Spend the day finding more diverse voices in your field. Representation matters.
Educate yourself on bystander intervention training and resources. Get started at ihollaback.org and find resources at ADVANCEGeo
Participate in a community cleanup Tips from Tuesdays for Trash
Evaluate your social media platforms and commit to following and amplifying perspectives from Black voices today, and every day. Follow the hashtag #BlackInTheIvory as one place to start.
Join this Wikipedia Edit-a-thon to make the Internet less racist by creating and improving pages for Black STEMM professionals