Race, Racism and Social Justice - Grand Challenge

Demographics of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce and student body in the US and Europe continue to show severe underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Among the documented causes of the persistent lack of diversity in STEM are bias, discrimination, and harassment of members of underrepresented minority groups (URMs). These issues persist due to continued marginalization, power imbalances, and lack of adequate policies against misconduct in academic and other scientific institutions. All scientists can play important roles in reversing this trend by shifting the culture of academic workplaces to intentionally implement equitable and inclusive policies, set norms for acceptable workplace conduct, and provide opportunities for mentorship and networking. As scientists are increasingly acknowledging the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in science, there is a need for clear direction on how to take antiracist action. Here we present 10 rules to help labs develop antiracists policies and action in an effort to promote racial and ethnic diversity, equity, and inclusion in science.

In his Editorial “Time to look in the mirror” (12 June, p. 1161), H. H. Thorp calls on scientists to recognize systemic racism within the science community. As part of this self-reflection, scientists should consider the many ways that inequality manifests in science, including science's historical contributions to discrimination, the lack of representation in science, and the extra burden placed on minority scientists to fix issues relating to diversity and inclusion. Understanding the scope of systemic inequality in science will enable genuine and sustainable efforts to make scientific institutions fair for all.