From left: Mbambi Mbungu and Jacob Chiza lead the march during “Justice for Black Lives” at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 6th, 2020. | Image: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The journal Nature published a special issue on racism in science this week. In it, Black and Indigenous scientists, doctors, and researchers share how they’ve experienced racism in their work. Many of them experienced discrimination as they entered their chosen fields, then faced backlash as they called out wrongdoing in those same places. It takes bravery to share this kind of pain so publicly. Their stories are raw and revelatory.
This special issue of Nature came about as part of the journal’s own efforts to grapple with racism. After the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in 2020, there was an upswell of voices calling out systemic racism in all areas of society, including in academia and science. Ahead of a “Strike for…