Thelma Madzima, Ph.D
@thelma_madzima
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Associate Prof. @MSUNatSci Prev. @UWBothell . HBCU alum: @FVSU 🌱🌽Plant epigenetic, abiotic stress; DEI in STEM. Opinions are my own. 🇿🇼🇺🇸
East Lansing, MI
Joined June 2016
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Pinned Tweet
PSA: Black scientists are scientists. Not diversity officers.
Invite us to the table for science
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PROMOTION & TENURE APPROVED!!
[That’s the tweet]
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I want to take a moment to acknowledge international students:
The constant worry & energy spent working on immigration documents
Being excluded from funding opportunities valued for postdoc & faculty positions
And the emotional toll of being away from family
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Here is a radical idea:
How about requiring senior faculty to express their commitments & contributions to DEI before asking junior faculty and applicants to write DEI statements that many aren’t even qualified to evaluate because they have never done the work
I said it 🙊
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I’m super excited to share that I will be joining the faculty
@michiganstateu
@MSUNatSci
as an 1855 Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Biology starting in January 2024!
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P&T EQUITY would be reviewing faculty P&T packets in the context of a multi-year global pandemic instead of clock extensions that affect lifetime income, disproportionally affecting women & marginalized groups & unnecessarily drags on the stress
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It’s wild to me that Black & Indigenous people are always expected to be patient in academic spaces, in ways that would never be tolerated if any other form of injustice was taking place.
Our humanity is ignored.
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Our Division
@UWB_Biology
just voted unanimously to include DE&I as a distinct category required for promotion & tenure! We’re holding each other accountable to improve our inclusion efforts.
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Dear non-U.S. academics,
Before you dismiss issues of racial diversity in STEM as a “U.S. problem”, I respectfully ask you to talk to your Black & Brown colleagues …
… if you have any.
Sincerely.
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As we enter review season for many positions, just a friendly reminder that just because a candidate does not have a prestigious fellowship, it does not make them less excellent.
Many international scholars cannot even apply for these awards.
You can’t win if you can’t play.
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Here is a radical idea (because why not):
How about requiring
@NSF
funded PIs to discuss their Broader Impact activities & data each time they give a talk.
Yes, I said it 🙊
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Universities hire academics who claim they will find solutions to combat global issues associated with climate change, for example.
But can’t hire anyone to fix the reimbursement system???
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Please understand: given the current scarcity of Black academic faculty, we are:
Often doing DEI work as an unpaid service
For ALL of our scientific societies & academic institutions
In addition to our regular work - in a pandemic
In spite of the systemic obstacles we face
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Today is one of those days as faculty in academia that I just want to curl up in a ball and call it a day. But I can’t.
The double standards by which we are evaluated by has left me feeling hopeless.
At this point it’s not implicit but explicit bias.
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A thread 🧵about bringing humanity to academia 1/6
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I am humbly reminded about how sometimes we can be allies & other times we need allies
Thank you to ALL of you working behind the scenes to be an ally to me right now.
In the end, I am a junior faculty member of marginalized identities who just spoke up about exclusion
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As a Black academic, days like this are extremely difficult & lonely when your majority White colleagues can carry on like it’s business as usual … and yet your people are in pain
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@doctora_nature
These people often with NO experience in DEI are evaluating the applicants statements.
Make that make sense 🤦🏾♀️
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Devastated that I have to take a dreaded long flight back to Zimbabwe to bury my mother
This is the most difficult trip I have ever had to make
Rest In Peace Mum 💔🕊️
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Sabbatical leave approved for 2022-2023!
My research program is motivated by the real life challenges in agriculture caused by drought in sub-Saharan Africa.
Looking forward to building partnerships with plant biologists & breeders combatting these issues on my motherland
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What I’ve witnessed & experienced in the last few days:
A white male in plant science academia can:
1. Insult a Black woman via email
2. Refuse to resign after requests
3. Put out a coached generic apology
4. Receive applause
All in that order
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I do not think people realize the mental, emotional & physical toll of continuously fighting for DEI
I gave a lot of myself over the last year to the cause
There is often a lot of push-back when people just want to be right, instead of doing the right thing
I refuse
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This retweet hurt my feelings ALOT
I have literally sacrificed my career (risking tenure) advocating for marginalized communities in the plant sciences
Call out the big name, racially OVERrepresented PIs who actually hold power … not underrepresented people already shackled
I am tired of this lip service - acknowledgments and appreciation weeks.
Do something - provide your international scholars with longer term visas, ask you international departments to be transparent, move your university boards to lobby visa reforms instead of
#virtuesignaling
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The Madzima Lab at Michigan State University is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Associate!
Details - Research Associate-Fixed Term
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🧵 Here is the complete list of 4 items suggested to me by
#IPMB2022
leadership
Notice the use of the word ASK & what I can do for them (labor). 🤦🏾♀️
Only once do they mention my potential involvement as a scientist 1/5
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I’m not going to lie, it is extremely lonely to be Black faculty in plant molecular biology
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In the presence of greatness. Plant Biology Black girl magic
@tlong_ncsu
@nagellab2
@DianeMBeckles
@BerondaM
@EmrLab
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For inclusion purposes, why isn’t ‘gender balance’ alone sufficient?
Because it usually only/mostly includes White women.
Gender balance does NOT increase ethnic & racial diversity.
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It turns out that a student can make a racially-motivatedstatement that implies physical harm directed towards a faculty member on course evaluations & be protected.
At what point do we prioritize physical safety of faculty over protections of anonymity offered by course evals.
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My special talent is giving my students advice about the importance of a healthy work-life balance that I fail to practice myself.
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One person can:
1. Believe they are committed to DEI as demonstrated by their mentoring/supervising trainees/staff of marginalized identities
Yet also
2. Be (racist) uncomfortable having a colleague/peer from those same groups & devaluing their contributions to science
1/2
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@TrumanLab
@ChenxinLi2
I’m open about my example.
Took a job. I was subjected to pretty bad racial discrimination that was ignored before the racial reckoning. June 2020 a student threatens me. Univ. doesn’t protect me. Decided to move for my safety.
No, I didn’t know when I applied.
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My experiences this past year in STEM:
When I speak up about DE&I, it makes many majority individuals uncomfortable
But if I don’t speak up about DE&I, underrepresented individuals will continue to remain uncomfortable
Real change happens outside of your comfort zone
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As academics, especially in the biological sciences where we claim to aim to improve the human condition, let’s not forget humanity in the workplace.
People first
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I have dreadlocs … my hairstyle does not affect my ability to be a scientist
Yet, it took me YEARS to be brave enough to grow locs, something I wanted to do since I was a teenager.
Black hair thrives when loc’ed. We shouldn’t have to conform to white-centered hairstyles
A Texas state judge has ruled that Barbers Hill High School DID NOT violate Texas’ CROWN Act, a state law prohibiting race-based hair discrimination, in its months-long punishment of high school junior Darryl George over the length of his locs.
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To my US colleagues in leadership positions:
while you and your family may be fully vaccinated, many of your trainees come from countries where the vaccine is not accessible and deaths are increasing. Check in on them. The pandemic never slowed down in many parts of the world
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I don’t want to be celebrated for being a strong, resilient Black woman
I just want to be
To be seen as human
To be seen as equal
That is my
#BlackHistoryMonth
dream
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As details emerge about the former student who murdered Prof. Meixner, it sickens me that there was a history of threats of harm & violence
Many of us teach in fear of our lives. After a student threat (dismissed by my uni & WA AG’s office) I am one of them
This is unacceptable
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This quote seems fitting about how some feel threatened by the recent movement in favor of an inclusive plant science community:
“The victim who is able to articulate the situation of the victim has ceased to be a victim: he or she has become a threat.” - James Baldwin
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Excited to attend my very first GRC, the
@GordonConf
on Salt & Water Stress in Plants in beautiful Switzerland and finally meeting these amazing scientists in real life:
@brooklebee
@HausMJ
@Margare41291282
@maliagehan
(I’m sorry that you are experiencing major FOMO right now)
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As a professor/PI/mentor/advocate, balancing everything is extremely difficult & overwhelming
Even more when you are a member of a group traditionally excluded in your academic discipline and that discipline is trying to (over)correct exclusion post June 2020
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When I do DEI service, I am giving my time and emotional energy.
Today I feel deflated and not sure the systemic barriers will ever be disrupted.
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@TrumanLab
@ChenxinLi2
My apologies. But I also thought your “didn’t they know …” comment was judgmental of people’s personal circumstances. You don’t know them either.
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@TrumanLab
@ChenxinLi2
This question exposes your privilege. There are many life factors that contribute to people needing to move.
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I’m designing a course on epigenetics while also writing a review article on the same topic …
Sometimes life (deadlines) just works out for you like that.
Let’s just say, my students will be reviewing the MOST recent literature in the spring quarter
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Lunch date to celebrate my promotion with one of my fave co-workers who has been such an amazing ally.
I was excited to gift her a copy of
@PlantLessons
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Being a foreign-born scholar is difficult in itself for many reasons, including not being with family during difficult times. The tragic events in India right now are a reminder of this. Sending my love to all my colleagues with loved ones in India.
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If you know
@K_Bioguy_Cox
& how brilliant of a scientist he is, you would be shocked to hear that his career trajectory includes people questioning his belonging.
This news is a big deal.
I cannot think of any other U.S.-born Plant Molecular Bio. Black male faculty.
#NewPI
Update: Yesterday was July 1st, meaning I'm officially an Assistant Professor at
@WUSTLBio
and an Assistant Member at
@DanforthCenter
! Feels surreal to have my dream job. Time to make this an exciting year 1 as a faculty member!
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@ASPB
I sincerely appreciate the apology.
I want to acknowledge that I was not the only one disrespected by your partner congress.
I ask that you reevaluate your partnerships and how they align with your stated values.
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On this day last year I received the devastating email from my institution about the threat on my course evals
It took me months to get over the institutional decision to protect the institution
I couldn’t even socialize
A year later I have found my peace but will NEVER forget
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Today was a good day! I gave my first in-person seminar talk since early 2020 thanks to an invitation by
@UW_GSAIMS
Great conversations, questions and sharing teaching and research ideas with
@uwgenome
students, postdocs and faculty
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For me it’s the :
1. Strong, clear position on the issue(s)
2. Immediate action items
3. Community endorsement
👏🏽👏🏽 Thank you!
@CellAtlas
The Plant Cell Atlas (PCA) strongly condemns the response of the
#IPMB2022
Congress to members of our community who raised concerns over the lack of representation in the IPMB2022 meeting flyer. The conduct of IPMB2022 in this matter has been wholly inappropriate 1/n 🧵
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At times (one of) the biggest obstacles of change is a single person in a leadership role consciously or unconsciously holding exclusive systems in place.
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Abolish the reimbursement system in academia & scientific societies
The current system is for the privileged
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I finally got to meet
@KeikoUTorii
in person in Belfast at
#ICAR2022
(We never managed to meet in Seattle, but this was perfect)
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At a work event this evening, I received a handshake I will NEVER forget …
It was from the first Black person (male) to receive tenure in our School of STEM
Congratulating me on my own tenure as the first Black female with tenure in the School of STEM
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“Change takes time” - they say
It’s been a 100 freakin years. Doesn’t look like they are trying to change
After almost a century of exclusion, Black plant biologists don’t have much to celebrate
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PSA: DEI work IS advancing science and should be recognized as such
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IMO, today is a very sad day for our research community.
A graduate student had to hold the community accountable.
Why did you clap?
Where were the allies?
Who are you really protecting?
Dr.MariaElena Zavala's talk at
#MGM2023
was amazing. Dr. Zavala talked about research, mentors & work to increase the number of historically excluded folks in the academy. The Q&A session however had VERY disparaging comments about Indigenous peoples and I want to tell you why 🧵
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The highlight of my week was spending time with Prof. Jennifer Nemhauser,
@BerondaM
and
@bey_category
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One of the most harmful things I see on academic job ads is “all of our faculty are committed to DEI”
This is not (always) true. Please stop it
Promoting your campus/unit as an inclusive & safe space when you know some of your colleagues are not on board is denial & toxic
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It has taken me over a year to feel comfortable being on campus after a student threat on a course eval.
Just like that I no longer feel safe again
I wish people, incl.
@UWBothell
leadership took threatening comments against Black people seriously BEFORE they lead to tragedy
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I am so devastated after watching videos of Black people being mistreated while trying to leave Ukraine💔💔
I don’t even know how to process everything
When will you see our humanity? 😢
#AfricansinUkraine
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“But this is how we have traditionally done it”
should NEVER be used to defend your position in a conversation about DEI in STEM
These colonial-based ‘traditions’, that academics are often proud of, are the cause of exclusion of diverse & marginalized individuals
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Thank you to everyone who nominated me for these awards and to all who have sent/posted congratulatory messages.
‘Wow!’- is the best way to describe my thoughts/feelings right now
CONGRATS to the extraordinary
@thelma_madzima
, THREE awards in a single week: Leadership Award from
@CoopMaize
; Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award; and Excellence in Education Award, both from
@ASPB
! Thanks for your contributions to plant science!
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The U.S. Plant Biology community is witnessing colonization of DEI:
White people incentivized by money from NSF to “care” about DEI & the people who gain the most from their DEI activities are of course … white
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Not all change takes time.
Sometimes we have to speak up immediately against injustice, discrimination & exclusion.
There are human lives affected by performative DEI statements
@ASPB
had an opportunity to live out their stated commitment to DEI, and dropped the ball
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Receiving good news about my P&T during
#BHM
was bitter-sweet
I would be joining an elite group of ~2% … tenured Black women … this low number is nothing to be proud of
My personal struggle was that I relived all the hurdles I had to face … due to my race & gender
1/n
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Celebrating my birthday for the second time in a pandemic. This time there is a sense of HOPE.
Shoutout to my girlfriends who leveled-up my bday with this delivery 🥂
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In the field of Plant Molecular Biology, there are less/around 10 of us with faculty positions in the U.S. due to the systemic barriers we face … such as those displayed by
@IPMBcongress
#IPMB2022
@ASPB
@NSF
: Nobody asks this small group how we persisted through these barriers
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And we wonder why we can’t recruit Black students …
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I couldn’t leave St. Louis without connecting, in real life, with the one and only
@PD_lab_DDPSC
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@NSF
: REAL DEI change will require that you:
1. Listen to the voices and needs of the marginalized that you aim to serve
2. Include more people of marginalized identities in your leadership
We can’t disregard lived experiences in favor of white supremacist, colonial practices
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Just wrapped up my new ‘Epigenetics’ course. So many feelings:
Relief: It took years before I was able to create a course in my specialty area
Lots of work & reading literature in a field that is rapidly evolving as we move away from textbooks
I had the most amazing students
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~11 months ago, I decided to use my voice to protest against systemic racism, particularly in academia. As junior faculty, I was totally scared of speaking up about the TRUTH due to fear of retaliation. I realized that this was no different from our oppression in society. (1/n)
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Our latest manuscript is now published!
We identify transcriptional & physiological roles for MOP1-mediated RdDM regulation of gene expression in response to environmental stress in maize.
@BioJlynn
New Research: Direct and Indirect Transcriptional Effects of Abiotic Stress in Zea mays Plants Defective in RNA-Directed DNA Methylation: Plants respond to abiotic stress stimuli, such as water deprivation, through a hierarchical…
#PlantScience
#PlantSci
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@oni_blackstock
They didn’t get to hear the readings of the other verdicts in person after enduring so much.
I was quite disturbed by the decision to remove them from the room.
Protecting the feelings of the white murderers
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Paraphrasing
@kss_phd
:
Academic institutions need to take an inventory of those within their institution not on board w/ DEI & figure out what to do with them.
We cannot continue to allow toxic senior faculty to perpetuate hostile environments for marginalized faculty
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One thing I never want is for a mentee/trainee of mine to be afraid to tell me if they have decided to change their career path/goals.
My commitment is to help get you to where YOU want to get to.
I know this can change for professional and personal reasons over time.
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There is nothing like the feeling of pouring your heart out on something you are passionate about & knowing people heard you and reflected
Thank you
@DanforthCenter
for offering me a safe space to share my personal perspectives on DEI and the subsequent engaging conversations
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It will be very hard to top this amazing conference and the personal & professional bonds we all made
#AGBTAG22
@bradylabs
@tlong_ncsu
@nagellab2
@CarolIbe8
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Part of this problem is due to the current structure by which funding agencies like
@NSF
reward those who train/mentor individuals underrepresented groups
There is no financial reward for being an anti-racist colleague/peer
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Some of my students loaded and ran their first gel today …. Their joy instantly reminded why I love working with undergrads.
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10 years ago, which U.S. Plant Biology programs were hiring Black faculty?
Look around at the Full Professors in your department.
Let’s stop acting like it’s been an equal playing field & actually admit to the compounding of inequities.
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“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” -Maya Angelou
I have seen the apology by a specific “plant congress” that falls short - no resignation by the 2 people who wrote disrespectful responses
What I shared on Twitter was not the worst of the email
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Dear
#Plantpostdocs
on the faculty job market. This year, many institutions are requiring more substantial DE&I activities and statements - which is good. BUT if you get an interview/offer make sure that you are not the only person responsible to fix the dept diversity issues.
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As I am reflecting on & curating my career moving forward, I am paying attention to how I feel with each activity
After a call today, I was reminded how much I enjoy mentoring historically minoritized academics
I need to figure out how to carve out more time for that
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@IPMBcongress
@PatNanteza
@ASPB
@CCC_Cairns
@asps_ozplants
The problem is that we had to look real hard.
But thank you for including ONE African (at an international conference) as a representation of a whole continent
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After hearing once again that we need to be “patient” with white academics as they come around to the idea of inclusion. I ask:
How much longer shall marginalized people continue to be asked to wait?
Do people realize that by encouraging patience, you are supporting racism?
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1. It shouldn’t be up to individuals to change racist academic systems, but individual PIs can set an inclusive culture in their labs
2. Plant people don’t have to be sessile - you can move into other areas of study/funding and still be rooted 🌱
In the final episode of Season 5, we talk with
@AmanHusbands
about "STARTing out as a PI, Pivoting During COVID, and Advocating for Change"
Check out this week's conversation here:
#TaprootTuesday
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I’m going to keep it real ... there are VERY few Black male plant scientists. As we aim to diversify the plant sciences, here is a great opportunity to learn about
@K_Bioguy_Cox
research and lived experiences in academia.
We inaugurate the 2021 HHMI Gilliam Seminars with
@K_Bioguy_Cox
next week. Make sure to register ASAP here:
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When you begin with this statement:
“a topic that everyone in the plant science community takes seriously: diversity and the inclusion of minoritized groups …”
And we know that this is NOT true
How are we supposed to take the rest of the statement seriously?
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