Thread by @_vividreams

Akilah is sharing her work with us in the @BlkinGeoscience Twitter space, happening right now!
twitter.com/i/spaces/1djGX…

https://twitter.com/AkilahAlwan/status/1565847895965945859

@BlkinGeoscience Along with celebrating those who belong to the @BlkinGeoscience community, we want to highlight new and emerging scientists. At the forefront is geoeducation.

@AkilahAlwan's dissertation focuses on racism, power, and privilege in the geosciences.

@BlkinGeoscience @AkilahAlwan Project focuses on methods such as CRT, and critical whiteness studies to understand how white geoscientists come about their ally identity. Also, how whiteness as a societal construct inhibits or prohibits their ability to help underserved people in the geosciences.

#BiG2022

@BlkinGeoscience @AkilahAlwan .@future_rift_doc (LTW): This is not traditional geowork. How did you get here? What is your #geostory?
@AkilahAlwan (AA): Participated in the McNair program and learned about program evaluation and geoscience ed research. Shifted focus from Black women identifying geoscientists.

@BlkinGeoscience @AkilahAlwan @future_rift_doc "There’s enough work on how to create resiliency for people of color and little to none addressing the majority in the geosciences and the operational power that they hold." @AkilahAlwan

#BlackinGeoscience #BiG2022

@BlkinGeoscience @AkilahAlwan @future_rift_doc .@AkilahAlwan: In ed studies, we are guided by theoretical framework that informs your methodology. CRT is a framework derived from critical legal scholarship and transcended into ed. It uses counter-storytelling and discusses that non-majoritarian stories are important. #Big2022

Critical whiteness studies focuses specifically on the power and privilege of whiteness. CWS focuses on feelings and emotions invoked by whiteness as a race and social constructions.

Whiteness is property: whites have an inherent interest to invest in whiteness because it gives them power within the racial hierarchy. In turn, they do things to protect those powers by operationalizing their whiteness. @AkilahAlwan

#BlackinGeoscience #BiG2022

.@future_rift_doc: when AA is talking about frameworks, it s a structure that supports a theory of research. These are not just opinions or thoughts, but they explain why a problem is being studied. They are discussed through qualitative or quantitative, or both methods. #BiG2022

.@future_rift_doc: how do we communicate science, share science, and represent science equitably? Akilah, can you mind sharing with us, what has been your exp so far from working with pseudo-sandboxes to this more social side of geoscience?

#BlackinGeoscience

There are still older traditional scientists that are skeptical of the work. Since I’m primarily qualitative, many people aren't comfortable presenting storytelling as research; that they’re just stories. But there’s a lot of power in stories and people’s words. @AkilahAlwan

When people ask why not take a quantitative approach? I think the qualitative approach is also important.

I have a personal connection to the research. This is my life that I’m living and a lot of my research consumes my everyday. @AkilahAlwan

#BlackinGeoscience #BiG2022

Some folks think that there isn’t an opp to be an ally because they don’t have many POC as colleagues, but the work is to dismantle white supremacy, and that work is done white colleague to white colleague.

People need to have serious convos with each other. @AkilahAlwan

.@future_rift_doc: When we think about geological processes, we have to think about the people and the community so we are really excited about what you are doing. Could you tell us, to date, what you have found as one of the move impactful or rewarding parts of this journey?

People changing their minds and their perspectives is really fulfilling. It's not just my experience as a POC but someone who is doing scholarly work on this topic.

I think we’re at a crossroads really, where ppl recognize that what we’re doing is not working. @AkilahAlwan

We need what I’m bringing to the table.

We can do this work in geo-ed research because what we’ve been doing for 40 yrs has not been working. I am encouraged by the potential for transformation. @AkilahAlwan

#BlackinGeoscience #BiG2022

.@future_rift_doc: Ppl got really excited about change in 2020 and now as we start to inch back out, you are not really seeing the allyship anymore.

As a researcher, what does allyship means to you? What do you think it needs to look like as we move forward?

There are several types of ally. A social justice ally does the work selflessly of making change. But allyship can be very limited in scope as to what one is willing to put on the line for change. Although my work focuses on allyship, geosciences need more than that. @AkilahAlwan

I would like to see co-conspirators or accomplices in the geosciences. Someone willing to take blame or fault in times of conflict. They are willing to stand down when they need to so other people can be heard, but also speak up in times of injustice. @AkilahAlwan

#BiG2022

LTW: As a PhD student, was has collaboration looked like for you?

Outside of the scope of my institution, people are very interested in collabs. But at my institution, they protect my time as a grad student so I don’t get the same cross-institutional opps. @AkilahAlwan

Any faculty members listening: I was working on these ideas in undergrad and we have things to say! With the right support, even HS students can create real change but you have to give them a chance. Support & mentorship makes the difference in what we can accomplish @AkilahAlwan

.@future_rift_doc: there’s not a one size fit all solution in learning and academia. What has been some of your experience funding this work? Have you been able to access scholarships, or what are some of the agencies that have been funding this research?

.@AkilahAlwan: I have been fortunate to have several graduate fellowships. I’m an @NSF research fellow, @NCAR_Science, @NABGSocial, @AccessibleGEO.

It’s something that I’m working on over the next year: putting together all the funding resources because they're hard to find.

.@AkilahAlwan: I have financial responsibilities back home, and graduate fellowships are not just about taking care of myself but also a generational responsibility. I’m very grateful to everyone involved in making sure that I have this funding.

#BlackinGeoscience #BigWeek2022

Catch up with @AkilahAlwan and hear more about her work at @geosociety's GSA Connects at the Iris Totten Research in Geoscience Education Session on Wednesday, October 12th @ 10am.

Catch you on the next @BlkinGeoscience space! #Big2022

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