Responding and navigating racialized microaggressions in STEM

Andrea Marshall; Angela D Pack; Sarah Afua Owusu; Rainbo Hultman; David Drake; Florentine U N Rutaganira; Maria Namwanje; Chantell S Evans; Edgar Garza-Lopez; Samantha C Lewis; Christina M Termini; Salma AshShareef; Innes Hicsasmaz; Brittany Taylor; Melanie R McReynolds; Haysetta Shuler; Antentor O Hinton

doi:10.1093/femspd/ftab027

Responding and navigating racialized microaggressions in STEM

Pathog Dis. 2021 Jun 3;79(5):ftab027. doi: 10.1093/femspd/ftab027.

Authors

Andrea Marshall¹, Angela D Pack², Sarah Afua Owusu³, Rainbo Hultman^{4

5}, David Drake⁶, Florentine U N Rutaganira⁷, Maria Namwanje⁸, Chantell S Evans⁹, Edgar Garza-Lopez^{10

11}, Samantha C Lewis⁷, Christina M Termini¹², Salma AshShareef^{13

14}, Innes Hicsasmaz^{13

14}, Brittany Taylor¹⁵, Melanie R McReynolds^{16

17}, Haysetta Shuler¹⁸, Antentor O Hinton^{1

11}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
² Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
³ Department of Surgery, Surgical Therapeutic Advancement Center, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
⁴ Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
⁵ Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
⁶ Department of Endodontics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
⁷ Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
⁸ Division of Pediatric Genetics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
⁹ Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹¹ Hinton and Garza Lopez Family Consulting Company, Iowa City, IA, USA.
¹² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
¹³ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
¹⁴ Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
¹⁵ Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
¹⁶ Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
¹⁸ Department of BiologicalSciences, 601 South Martin Luther King Drive, WBA Science Building, room 217, Winston-Salem, NC 27110, USA.

Abstract

While it is commonly thought that microaggressions are isolated incidents, microaggressions are ingrained throughout the academic research institution (Young, Anderson and Stewart 2015; Lee et al. 2020). Persons Excluded from science because of Ethnicity and Race (PEERs) frequently experience microaggressions from various academicians, including graduate students, postdocs and faculty (Asai 2020; Lee et al. 2020). Here, we elaborate on a rationale for concrete actions to cope with and diminish acts of microaggressions that may otherwise hinder the inclusion of PEERs. We encourage Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) departments and leadership to affirm PEER scholar identities and promote allyship by infusing sensitivity, responsiveness and anti-bias awareness.

Keywords: STEM; environmental microaggressions; microaggressions; microassaults; microinsults; microinvalidations.

MeSH terms

Engineering
Humans
Mathematics
Microaggression*
Racism / prevention & control*
Science / organization & administration*
Students
Technology
Universities