Kim's Corner: April 2021
“In an America defined by and founded in racial violence, it is sadly fitting that progress is measured in punishment.” Kamau Bobb opened his most recent blog with these prescient words. Responding to the recent verdict in the George Floyd slaying, Bobb reminds me how most systems conceive of and reward success in troubling ways.
Consider the following examples:
Academe: In general, postsecondary institutions calculate an individual’s success based on how well others think of your thoughts. Often reflected by h indices, a scholar’s worth is based on whether other scholars cite your work. The impact your article/book/conference presentation makes on a non-academic community is wholly insignificant in most hiring, promotion and/or retention decisions.
Computer science and engineering programs: In higher education, it is important to observe where their graduates attain post-baccalaureate positions. The more prestigious the company (that is, the more recognizable the name) the better. Little regard is spent on how well the company is retaining underrepresented employees. Despite the fact that more and more tech companies are releasing their diversity and equity data, this information has yet to be used by institutions of higher education in any meaningful way.
Funding agencies: There is a growing number of “big bet” requests for proposals. Large foundations are requesting programmatic ideas to challenge racial injustice. Tens of millions of dollars are committed to the best proposals. Time will tell if these efforts will lead to the transformative change that the solicitation for ideas seeks to support. At the least, the intent is to fund differently, think differently. Indeed, some foundations, such as New School Venture, have boldly changed the review process so “parents, students, and education innovators of color” will make investment decisions. This is progress. Rather than treat the “target audience” as objects on which to pilot a program, this approach recognizes their knowledge and lived experiences as assets.
During CGEST’s most recent Women of Color and STEM Entrepreneurship Conference, among the dozen or so panelists, over 100 virtual attendees, and a dozen other speakers, a common chord ran throughout the highly interactive sessions: progress for girls/women of color should not be measured by how far or fast they move away from their communities with STEM skills (click here to view the conference wrap-up). As we continue the work from the conference in follow-up conversations and programs all focused on systems map construction, we measure our progress in how well we establish a sustainable process to transform the intersecting oppressive systems disenfranchising our daughters. (If you would like to contribute to the system map construction you can still fill out our survey from the conference and get involved now).
Within 24 hours of the verdict being announced, our nation experienced no less than six more Black folk shot by police. No system in our nation should measure progress by one single decision, no matter how just it may seem. Instead, systems need to consider the short, mid, and long-term impacts of their actions. And, as Tarika Barrett, Girls Who Code CEO, stated, we must normalize images of change for our children, particularly girls of color.
Written By:
Dr. Kimberly Scott
Founding Executive Director
Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology
