I don’t have an enormous platform of followers to share this with, but I think speaking up is important even if I don’t have the “right” words, so here we go. I have never stood for any form of racism, and have stood up when I’ve witnessed overt acts of racism around me.
However, it’s not only the overt acts that are the problem. I have noticed who was sitting around the table on committees, etc & on a few occasions commented on the obvious lack of representation but mostly was met with
a bureaucratic answer that didn’t take any action to address the problem. After that becomes the pattern, it’s easy to start accepting that your voice isn’t going to change anything to avoid being seen as a “problem” (esp. to those that are more senior) and stop speaking up.
From here on out, I promise to not let the fear of repercussions stop me from engaging in what is a necessary conversation. If enough of us DO speak up, I hope it becomes too loud to ignore. We cannot accept complacency without tangible action.
Reading the BlackintheIvory tweets over the past few days has incited a number of emotions, and really highlighted what intersectionality looks like. Myself and every woman out there have a ton of stories on what being a woman looks like in STEM sometimes, but I will never be
able to understand what it’s like to have that compounded by your skin colour. Mostly though, I’ve felt a fraction of the outrage that the people that are responsible for these stories in many cases haven’t been held accountable. Accountability is the cornerstone of integrity.
If you can’t, or refuse to acknowledge that you have erred, how are things going to change? There should be no room for this, especially in academic institutions which are supposed to be LEADERS in thinking, arenas of free speech, and catalysts for change in our world.
I will never be able to fully understand, but I promise to stand.
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#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter
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#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter
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