Thread by @MeganMolteni

Thousands of scientists are suspending their work today to confront and eradicate anti-black racism in academia and STEM.

#ShutDownSTEM #ShutDownAcademia
#strike4blacklives

wired.com/story/across-t…

Thank you to @cosmojellyfish @sheydaipek and Tien-Tien Yu for talking to me about the movement, which was pioneered by a coalition of scientists who have long been doing the work of fighting anti-Black racism in academia, including @IBJIYONGI @iamstarnord.

You can hear more about that work in this @sotrueradio interview with @IBJIYONGI @iamstarnord.

soundcloud.com/sojournertruth…

One line in particular that stuck with me (h/t @sheydaipek):

"For 50 years, astronomers have chased the dreams of white people. When will they turn the telescope on the dreams of Martin, and Nikki, and Audre, and Malcolm?"

-@iamstarnord

These scientists and many many others have done the unpaid work of putting together a massive amount of resources for anyone who wants to participate in today's strike.

shutdownstem.com

particlesforjustice.org

READ THEM.

And a huge thanks to @DrShardeDavis and @smileitsjoy for speaking to me about the space they've created for Black academics to connect with each other and share their experiences on #BlackintheIvory.

There was so much from our conversation that didn't make it into the article, I'm going to thread about it a bit here and then shut up and think about how I have perpetuated anti-Black racism in my own reporting on science and make a plan to do better.

But first of all, white people, if you're going to #BlackinIvory
to learn, remember that you are a guest.

https://twitter.com/DrShardeDavis/status/1270576216458706944?s=20

So many Black academics live their work life in isolation. @DrShardeDavis on why that makes Twitter such a powerful place for them to network
and connect: "We're leveraging social media to create accessible safe spaces where we can share personal stories in a public domain."

When I asked why change has been so slow, despite the unpaid work of many Black and POC academics to offer solutions, her answer was simple: it's expensive. Real change means investing in more Black faculty. And universities look instead to "bandaid options."

But this is where @smileitsjoy made the most insightful point connecting this fight with the one in the streets. "If universities divest of their police departments, (like the U of Minnesota just did), there's a lot more money available for supporting Black faculty and students."

My point is, follow these brilliant Black female scholars, @smileitsjoy and @DrShardeDavis immediately. And start learning.