Grieving and frustrated: Black scientists call out racism in the wake of police killings

Grieving and frustrated: Black scientists call out racism in the wake of police killings

Grieving and frustrated: Black scientists call out racism in the wake of police killings

As marchers in the United States and around the world filled the streets this past week to protest against police brutality and racial injustice, Black scientists grieved openly on social media, calling for action on racism in society and in science. Many stated ways in which institutions and colleagues, from collaborators to meeting organizers, could support Black scientists. Some pushed universities and scientific societies to release statements against racism. And several posted that the weight of the current events has made it even harder to do their jobs in a profession that already marginalizes them.

Hundreds are planning to stop their research tomorrow (except for time-sensitive activities related to COVID-19) as part of an academic strike in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The goal is to take “time to learn, reflect, critique, and chart a course of action”, writes Particles for Justice, a group of physicists co-organizing the strike.

Nature | 6 min readReference: Particles for Justice list of strike resources