By Lewis-Burke Associates LLC
HFES has signed on to a letter, along with more than 70 organizations, endorsing calls by Congress for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to address systemic racism in science and academia. The letter, sent by the American Physiological Society (APS) on September 1, supports a July 29 request from House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) to NASEM President Marcia McNutt to establish a committee to assess the impact of systemic racism in academia, specifically focusing on the underrepresented minority populations in the STEM fields. APS’s letter highlights the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 to communities of color as an example of the critical importance of having a diverse STEM workforce, and calls for a comprehensive study that will help the scientific community achieve rapid progress in creating an inclusive workforce, rather than incremental change.
Chairwoman Johnson’s letter highlights the need to ensure that talented STEM workers from underrepresented groups are not pushed out of their field due to discrimination. In order to achieve this, the letter calls for NASEM to conduct a study that would:
- Examine and review the impact of systemic racism on the recruitment, retention, advancement of people in the field of STEM and academia.
- Identify and promote new policies to ensure the addressment of systemic racism, protect minority populations in the STEM workforce, and promote diversity in the field of STEM.
Sources and additional information:
- The American Physiological Society’s letter can be found here.
- The House Science Committee’s press release on its July 29 letter to NASEM President Marcia McNutt can be found here.