Allyship & Activism in Science Part 2

This post has been written by Rokia with the support of the Science London collective (and friends)

“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.”

― Angela Y. Davis

In my last post I briefly introduced some of the historic anti-racist movements that emerged in the UK as a reminder that: we are better able to enact anti-racist work and equitable practice if we pay attention to the  social, political, historical, geographic etc. contexts surrounding the communities we wish to engage. Taking that idea further, this post will consider the ways activism has interacted with science and what lessons can be brought forward to increase our capacity for delivering anti-racist science communication. 

If you’re still on this journey with us, it should come as no surprise to know that science, as an institution and a practice, is not neutral and racism, alongside other interlocking systems of oppression, remains an inherent part of the structure and function of science. Patterns of exclusion and erasure of oppressed groups within science communication, alongside deeply entrenched framings of excluded publics as ‘deficient’ or responsible for their own exclusion routinely reflect and recreate systemic inequalities present in society. 

Thinking about activism interacting with science or science communication often directs us towards environmental science and the ways it has successfully adopted powerful concepts of political ecology which originated from grassroots environmental Justice organisations. 

This process involved academics paying attention to the issues being raised by activists then adopting and expanding the notions and demands placed around them. For example concepts such as; environmentalism of the poor, water justice and environmental racism now visible in environmental and sustainability science originated in activists movements. Additionally, socialist organisations like Science for People , who proudly discussed the non-neutrality of science as early as the 1970s, began by aligning their work with the peace movement and anti-nuclear activists. 

This approach has much to offer  those of us invested in racial justice and equitable practice in science communication. As scientists we are taught to value data or evidence which has been scrutinised to levels we deem acceptable. While this is important to ensure the science we promote is robust, it often excludes the lived experiences or ‘anecdata’ of racialized communities from being considered useful. We must also remember that data pertaining to racialized communities is often created through the white gaze, which projects reductive understandings of identity as fact. In the UK we see this through the lazy construction of terms such as BAME, which reduces and homogenises vastly distinct identities as ‘other’ in relation to whiteness which is automatically positioned as the standard. More often, terms such as these tend to skew the data in relation to race and avoid nuanced discussions regarding the specific needs, triumphs and challenges being experienced by those from racialised minorities. 

As we work to become better allies and actively do anti-racist work in science communication, it is vital that we are listening and learning from the communities we hope to serve while understanding that due to white supremacy, their voices will often be coming from outside of academia or rarely cited/ celebrated when they are working from within. 

Below is a collection of ideas that are helping us grow in our allyship and activism as womxn, scientists and communicators. The prompts have been adapted from environmental justice group One Green Planet and is by no means an exhaustive list. Much of the inspiration for how this works in relation to anti-racism, comes from incredible Black and Minority Ethnic people in and outside of the science communication sphere who have given their time, intellectual and emotional energy to educate us. This is us putting our money where our mouths are and centring their demands. We hope using our platform continues the spread of this knowledge and ignites a passion/ curiosity within you to interrogate how sci-com can work as activism in the literal sense.

How can I be a better sci comms ally, accomplice or activist?: 

As Gail Lewis from BBWG and OWAAD discusses in the link above, activist and/or community groups fighting for racial justice are multifaceted, being many things for many people. As such, in addition to direct action or campaigning there are many ways to help a cause. Think of it as a scale ranging from small, individual actions to large institutional changes. 

Educate yourself & others: 

Sophie mentioned this in her post and it continues to be really important! There are lots of great resources circulating but ultimately there are no shortcuts or definitive anti-racist reading lists. Read widely and do not put the burden back onto the oppressed to educate you. You can alleviate some of that burden by sharing the knowledge you’ve gained with family, friends and your sci-comm co-workers. Social media has been great for raising awareness, but more meaningful are the conversations we have when no-one’s watching. Thinking about sci-comms specifically, Lindy Orthia and Elizabeth Rasekoala have written an excellent piece that documents the non-western roots of our work. 

Make space for emotion 

Generally, Public Engagement with Science (PES) activities are working with the assumption that most people have a positive relationship with science. As such, those who are not engaged in the activities, demonstrations etc that we facilitate are often seen as problems to manage. Given all the ways science perpetuates oppression, we need to be more open to and unashamedly create space for negative or conflicting reactions to the science we are communicating. Careful questioning as to why participants feel this way could be a great way to open up discussions of racism and social justice in your science communication work. This paper from Sarah Davies reminds us of the problematic positioning of publics in PES activities and why making space for the emotive and material matters. 

Volunteer

This may not be feasible for everyone all the time, but where possible volunteer your time, money, your platform and or expertise. This could be donating to racial justice organisations, reaching out to see if they could use your skills (many are linked to education) or using your platform to amplify the voices of minorities in science communication (@MinoritiesinSTEM do a great job of this on twitter). Joining boards/ trustee bodies can be a great way to formally raise issues of racism, diversity and inclusion at departmental or even more senior institutional levels. Again, you volunteering to do this work helps alleviate the burden of explaining institutional racism from your minority colleagues who are living with the effects. 

Get Creative

Diversify the topics you choose as the focus of your science communication. Use your work as an opportunity to highlight the achievements of scholars that sit outside of the [white, cis, male] canon. If you are being asked to speak about a specific topic, suggest alternatives to the organisers. Calling out the need to diversify which science we focus on and celebrate could be a great segue for our next suggestion….

Open the door

Have you been invited to speak on an all white panel? Does the institution you work for keep organising non-diverse events? Speak up! This is a great opportunity for you to actively platform Black and Minority Ethnic communicators while pushing to update the standard narrative of science. Also consider your minority colleagues if you are unable to attend an event or hear about job opportunities, if you’re white chances are you are privy to conversations/ people they aren’t- be bold about suggesting them for work or speak to them privately if you’re unsure of their capacity. 

Don't Stop

Allyship fatigue is not a thing! As stated by The Black Youth Project “Allyship fatigue is an insult to Black [Minority Ethnic and other marginalized] folks who never get to rest” LINK

I would also say that being an ‘ally’ often has passive connotations, while being an ‘accomplice’ feels more like a call to action and reminds us that we should continuously be doing the work. Better to have people using their voices, bodies, power and privilege to disrupt the unjust norms of science than telling you how much they respect you for doing it without them. In any case, if you are white its important to remember that being an ally or accomplice in anti-racist practice isn’t about you. There is no reward other than knowing it’s the right thing to do. Holiday Phillips and Millenial Black have some handy tips on being an anti-racist ally. 

Live It

As it says on the tin. This is all the time, everyday, publicly and privately. 

Rachel Cargle’s 30 days challenge offers an accessible start on your journey to being an accomplice. It includes daily prompts that call us to think critically and act tangibly in solidarity against racism: LINK

Reflect

Take time to reflect and internalise the things you read. Think carefully about the ways you will enact them in your practice. After reading this post we’d ask you to consider:

• Where do you draw inspiration from in developing your science communication? What social justice or activist groups have or could you draw on? Who is still missing from your thoughts?

• What language are you using in your science communication practice- even when you're thinking about doing EDI work - are you using terms that mean you're homogenising groups? If so, what could you do to change that?

• How does your organisation listen to the communities you work with; and/or those that aren't part of your work?

These insights are things we, as the Science London collective and as individuals, are trying  to incorporate into our personal and professional lives.  However, we feel it is important that we acknowledge that we are not experts and committing to allyship and activism means we must be open to critique and reflexivity. We recognise that what we are doing is so much bigger than us or our sphere of influence. For example, as a Black woman I may have a unique perspective to offer the collective on issues relating to the intersections of racism and sexism however, I am not an expert on race, gender or social justice and am certainly not above critique. 

Black and Minority Ethnic people shouldn’t have to fight for justice, and we hope to one day live in a world where organisations such as ours don’t need to exist, but until then we will use our platform and resources to demand better of ourselves and for them.