I attended a diverse undergraduate liberal arts college, espousing a “no tolerance” policy for anything except respect and inclusion. I have lived in diversity “hotspots” such as Chicago, Atlanta and Philadelphia, where I worked with people of all ages, cultures, religions, ethnicities, abilities, gender identities, sexual preferences, and socioeconomic statuses.
While I did learn a lot from these experiences, the truth is that I am still a middle-class, able-bodied, straight, cis white person who has benefitted from many privileges afforded to me by a system built for me and people like me. I still have a lot to learn about diversity, especially in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the amplification of pervasive and disproportional police brutality against black people, and the most recent rampant racist, xenophobic rhetoric espoused around the world. This statement serves to demonstrate my commitment to self-reflection, self-criticism, active listening and learning, and willingness to grow. This statement also serves to demonstrate the actions I have taken - and plan to implement in the future - to work toward more equitable and inclusive educational environments and a more equitable and inclusive world.
Historically underrepresented and disadvantaged groups have long been denied, discouraged, and shut out of higher education and professional opportunities, not only because of financial barriers (often the result of a lack of generational wealth), but also because of systemic oppression and exclusion grounded in hate, fear, and/or ignorance. I feel like I should not have to state why this was/is wrong, but historically marginalized racial and ethnic populations are still under-represented in higher education student and faculty populations (Ellsworth, Harding, Law & Pinder, 2022). Though nearly every university and company now have webpages devoted to pledging and promising their “commitment to diversity”, while showcasing BIPOC and differently abled students and employees on the covers of brochures, the path to making higher education and industry representatively diverse is moving at a glacial pace.
While it is important to be mindful that higher education institutions have not reached their full potential for diverse student bodies, this issue also exists in the success of high school students throughout the country. Most graduating high school students, and most college-enrolled high school graduates are white (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). Representativeness in student populations, faculty populations, and in curriculum is important to student social and emotional growth, and in turn, their academic success (Addy, Dube, Mitchell, & SoRelle, 2021; Gershenson, Hansen, & Lindsey, 2021; Morgan Consoli & Marin, 2015; Prevatt, Perkins, & Nance, 2021). By involving more faculty in outreach opportunities, such as Skype a Scientist (https://www.skypeascientist.com/) Over the past year, I have “visited” several classrooms from all over the United States, and found that sharing my science with students (some of whom had never even known my “job” existed) and promoting my love of school in general was extremely rewarding.
In practicing a growth mindset (Dweck, 2016; Santos, 2020), I continue to work to identify my blind spots and biases and embrace learning challenges from those who know better than I do. I devote time, energy, and resources to seeking out information on modern and historical diversity and social justice issues, learning from works by authors, educators, podcasters, and activists like Dr. Dolly Chugh, Ibram X. Kendi, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Robin DiAngelo. I do this while recognizing that it is a privilege for me to educate myself on issues of racism, prejudice, discrimination, and inequality/inequity instead of experiencing them.
In my curriculum design, I am mindful to seek examples of BIPOC, LGBTQ+ community members, and women who contributed to our current understanding of psychology, biology, and anthropology. My lectures celebrate the achievements of a wide array of scientists. Many times, textbooks overlook minority contributions, but through a little extra effort (and literature searches!), instructors can make a significant difference in how students see themselves in our field. I hope to foster a sense of comfort and belonging wherever I end up.
I have an advantage in that my field of research - primatology - is rife with female leaders (i.e. Jane Goodall, etc.), and diversity and inclusion have been an official tenant of the International Society of Primatology’s ethics for a few years, and continues to be at the forefront of primatological work: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10764-019-00115-9.pdf . Primatology also grants researchers from all over the world – where primates live in their native habitats – the opportunity to learn from other cultures, as was the case when I conducted fieldwork in Brazil and Botswana.
The most useful thing I can do to practice good allyship (or good-ish allyship, according to Dr. Chugh) is to leverage my privilege to magnify and propagate messages of minorities/underrepresented groups of people. As a person of privilege, the fight for social justice and change isn’t always in direct support of myself, which is why a lot of people in my demographic are hesitant to be advocates. I try to be sincere in supporting causes that aren’t “mine” (while being careful not to step on the toes of people whose causes are), but often times my demographic – unfortunately – has the ear of a lot of people, because of our “ordinary privilege” (Chugh, 2018; 2022; Santos, 2020). In whatever position I am in (professional, academic, or otherwise), I seek out resources to practice the skills needed to give visibility to other issues (which may not pertain to me) and advocate for things that minority students and/or faculty may not be able or feel comfortable doing so that I can provide an inclusive and effective learning environment. This includes mentorship of minority students.
For the past decade, I have supervised the research efforts of undergraduate students from many different backgrounds and was able to give them space for expression, authenticity, and opportunities to thrive academically. Although I am not a member of a minority group, I can positively contribute to students’ success and development through culturally responsive mentorship (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019) and empathetic leadership.
References
Addy, T. M., Dube, D., Mitchell, K. A., & SoRelle, M. (2021). What inclusive instructors do: Principles and practices for excellence in college teaching. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Chugh, D. (2022). A more just future. Attia.
Chugh, D. (2018). The Person You Mean to Be. Harper Collins.
Dweck, C. (2016). What having a “growth mindset” actually means. Harvard Business Review, 13(2), 2-5.
Gershenson, S., Hansen, M., & Lindsay, C. A. (2021). Teacher Diversity and Student Success: Why Racial Representation Matters in the Classroom. Harvard Education Press. 8 Story Street First Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Morgan Consoli, M. L., & Marin, P. (2016). Teaching diversity in the graduate classroom: The instructor, the students, the classroom, or all of the above? Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 9(2), 143.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25568.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). College Enrollment Rates. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cpb.
Prevatt, B.-S., Perkins, H., & Nance, A. (2021). Psychology today: A project to increase diversity in psychology curriculum. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 7(4), 288–300.
Santos, L. (Host). (2020, June 29). How to Be a Better Ally (Season 2, No. 10) [Audio podcast episode]. In The Happiness Lab. Pushkin.