Anti-Racism Resources

With contributions from Chris Gentry, Tessa Hill, Cora Johnston, Olivia Lopez, Isabel Morris, and Erika Marin-Spiotta

Continued anti-Black police violence in the U.S., racial and ethnic inequities in COVID-19 related illnesses and deaths, and the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic have lent renewed urgency to conversations and action to address systemic racism in the U.S. Racism is engrained in every aspect of our current society, including people's ability to access quality and affordable education, health care, housing, food, clean air and water, employment, and competitive salaries. Racism is also experienced in personal interactions through lack of trust, (micro)aggressions, active hostility and discrimination. The widespread lack of recognition of the violent history of colonization, genocide, disenfranchisement, dispossession, imperialism and white supremacy in the U.S. (and many other countries) contributes to failure to acknowledge their legacies in all aspects of today's society. The historical, societal and interpersonal context of racism contributes to racial inequities in academia and in science. Black scientists, for example, report having the police called on them by coworkers at their workplace, police interrogation at field sites, being followed by police on campus, being denied tenure, and being overlooked for promotion.

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Racism

There is a wealth of scholarship on the history of the construction of race, racism, and racial identity which cannot be summarized on one page. Instead, we attempt to introduce some important concepts and point the reader to additional resources.

Scholars frame racism as a systemic feature of society, not an aberration of individual prejudice, but instead the product of intentional policies and practices to establish and perpetuate racial inequities.

Bonilla-Silva, E. (2015) 'More than Prejudice: Restatement, Reflections, and New Directions in Critical Race Theory', Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 1(1), pp. 73–87.
Crenshaw, K. W. (2011) 'Twenty Years of Critical Race Theory: Looking back to Move Forward', Connecticut Law Review, 43(5), pp. 1253–1354.
Delgado, R. and Stefancic, J. (2001) Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. New York: New York University Press Downloadable here
Ray, V. (2019) A Theory of Racialized Organizations. American Sociological Review 84: 26-53.

The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn't shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.

-Toni Morrison

Learn about racism in the U.S.

Race is the child of racism, not the father.

-Ta-Nehisi Coates

Resources from Racial Equity Tools
Talking about Race by National Museum of African American History & Culture, includes information about Historical Foundations of Race, Race and Racial Identity, Social Identities and Systems of Oppression and Whiteness
The 1619 Project interactive New York Times Magazine. Book by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X Kendi
The long history of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S.
Special Issue (2019) in Health Sciences Research on Experiences of Discrimination in America: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
Discrimination in America: Experiences and Views, report of a survey by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and National Public Radio

Learn about history of racism in academia

Colleges were imperial instruments akin to armories and forts, a part of the colonial garrison with the specific responsibilities to train ministers and missionaries, convert indigenous peoples and soften cultural resistance, and extend European rule over foreign nations.

-Craig Steven Wilder. Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities

The following are a good introduction to the colonial and violent histories of the foundation of U.S. academic institutions of higher education.

Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities by Craig Steven Wilder.
Land-grab universities Expropriated Indigenous land is the foundation of the land-grant university system by Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone
Textbook Racism: How scholars maintained white supremacy by Donald Yacovone
Racial inequality in academia: Systemic origins, modern challenges, and policy recommendations by Cydney H. Dupree and C. Malik Boykin

Racism in STEMM

...classrooms are not only scenes of cosmology - the study of the origins and inner workings of the physical universe - but also scenes of society, complete with all the problems that follow society wherever it goes.

-Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. The Disordered Cosmos. A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred

Science still bears the fingerprints of colonialism by Rohan Deb Roy
Reckoning with histories of medical racism and violence in the USA by Ayah Nuriddin, Graham Mooney and Alexandre I. White
On reporting scientific and racial history by Rae Wynn-Grant
Can we untangle ecology from its baked-in colonial biases? by Ellie Shechet
Decolonising Science Reading List by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Self-reflection

How does who you are shape what you know about the world? ... Few things are more difficult than to see outside the bounds of your own perspective—to be able to identify assumptions that you take as universal truths but which, instead, have been crafted by your own unique identity and experiences in the world. We live much of our lives in our own heads, in a reconfirming dialogue with ourselves. Even when we discuss crucial issues with others, much of the dialogue is not dialogue: it is monologue where we work to convince others to understand us or to adopt our view.

- David Takacs. How does your positionality bias affect your epistemology?

Ali et al. (2021) in their article An actionable anti-racism plan for geoscience organizations propose that for organizations to implement anti-racist and equitable practices, leadership and members need to ask themselves the following questions:

Who is in the organization?

Who benefits from the status quo?

Who holds power?

Who feels safe?

Who is left out and who is powerless?

Who feels unsafe?

Why do these differences exist?

Saying 'I don't see color' denies the racial identity of students by Larry Ferlazzo
Moving beyond the business case for diversity by Rebecca Haacker, Melissa Burt and Marissa Vara
Cognitive reserve and racial privilege in STEM by Mélise Edwards
This Is What I Want To Tell My White Professors When They Ask, 'How Are You Today? by LaShyra "Lash" Nolen
Is your university racist? by Bedelia Nicola Richards
Racism in academia – an interview with Dr. Izzy Jayasinghe by Brooke Morriswood

Resources for anti-racist practices in STEM

In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.

- Angela Y. Davis

10 Simple rules to facilitate antiracist dialogue in science workplaces

Lead informed discussions about antiracism in your lab regularly
Address racism in your lab and field safety guidelines
Publish papers and write grants with BIPOC colleagues
Evaluate your lab's mentoring practices
Amplify voices of BIPOC scientists in your field
Support BIPOC in their efforts to organize
Intentionally recruit BIPOC students and staff
Adopt a dynamic research agenda
Advocate for racially diverse leadership in science
Hold the powerful accountable and don't expect gratitude

- from Chaudhary and Berhe. Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab

Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab by Bala Chaudhary and Asmeret Asefaw Berhe.
An actionable anti-racism plan for geoscience organizations by Hendratta Ali et al.
Counteracting systemic bias in the lab, field and classroom by Emily H.G. Cooperdock et al. Read more about this work here: Seven ways PIs can counteract systemic bias right now
Ten steps to protect BIPOC scholars in the field by Joshua Anadu, Hendratta Ali and Christopher Jackson
Ecology and evolutionary biology must elevate BIPOC scholars by Melanie Duc Bo Massey et al.
Decoloniality and anti-oppressive practices for a more ethical ecology by Christopher H. Trisos, Jess Auerbach and Madhusudan Katti
Strategies and support for Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in ecology and evolutionary biology by Michelle Tseng et al.
Let's talk about race: changing the conversations around race in academia by Jasmine M. Miller-Kleinhenz et al.
Recommendations for inclusive diversity to increase persistence of PEERS (persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race) in Race Matters by David Asai
Tips for avoiding racial bias in reference writing by Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and Sora Kim
Responses to 10 Common Criticisms of Anti-Racism Action in STEM by Maya Gosztyla et al.

Six essential constructs for an anti-racist framework: identity, values, access, inclusion, equity, and justice (from Ali et al. 2020 An actionable anti-racism plan for geoscience organizations). Acknowledge the presence of racism and the role of intersectionality in shaping experiences of discrimination and exclusion. Be transparent about communicating the organization's values and hold it accountable. Ensure access by removing barriers to opportunities for full participation and career advancement. Recognize systems of oppression and exclusion and actively work towards inclusion. Ensure equity through active practices that counteract histories of exclusion. Address harms of racist and discriminatory histories and how they manifest in today's practices, such as colonial and parachute science.

Racism and anti-racism in the geosciences

Where are the Black geoscientists? by Munira Raji and Hendratta Ali
No progress on diversity in 40 years by Rachel Bernard and Emily Cooperdock
Combating Racism in the Geosciences: Reflections From a Black Professor by Vernon R. Morris
Race and racism in the geosciences by Kuheli Dutt
Racial microaggressions in science by Marshall Shepherd
Diversity Crisis in UK Geoscience Research Training by Natasha Joanne Dowey et al.
How to include Indigenous researchers and their knowledge by Virginia Gewin
What does diversity look like in the geosciences?

Read this series of interviews at Stanford University written by Elenita Makani Nicholas:

Excellent resources by geoscientists

URGE- Unlearning Racism in Geoscience is a NSF-funded community-wide journal-reading and policy-design curriculum to help geoscientists unlearn racism and improve accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (AJEDI) in our discipline.

GeoContext: A social and political context for geoscience education. Excellent site with resources and teaching modules for undergraduate and graduate courses to assist educators in integrating topics on racism, colonialism, imperialism, environmental damage, and exploitation of natural resources into subjects commonly taught within geoscience departments. Learn more about this project and read about the early career creators in this EOS article.

Geo Readings for Equity Crowd-sourced library with resources on: 1) the background of inequity in STEM higher ed, 2) particular Geoscience/Earth Science equity issues, and 3) strategies and resources for facilitating hard conversations, etc.

DEI Geoscience Literature Collection of articles related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Geosciences compiled by two early-career geoscientists, Julia Cisneros and Aída Guhlincozzi

Talking about race in earth and space science Resources for facilitating conversations about race and racism by J.C. Lerback