Work

“Diversity matters series”—The Black In Neuro movement

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: The "Diversity Matters Series" of the European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN) is focused on highlighting the efforts of organizations in the neurosciences committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), both bottom-up grassroots movements that mobilize and transform communities as well as top-down efforts from organizations and agencies committed to galvanizing change (Helmreich et al., 2021).We recognize that the lasting solutions which actually drive cultural change often emerge when bottom-up and top-down efforts converge, paving the way for a vital 'liminal' space to open the road to transformation.In the second of our Diversity Matters series, we showcase the grassroots "Black In Neuro" movement (https://www.blackinneuro.com); its mission to, "Diversify the neurosciences by building a community that celebrates and empowers Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience-related fields worldwide."As we put together this editorial, we were struck by the commitment and sheer positivity of the people we spoke with, be it the founders of the Black In Neuro movement, the allies that committed their time, energy, and resources, or the leading partners that globalized the movement.Last year served as another painful reminder of the racial injustices in the United States against African Americans with the brutal murder of George Floyd by a white police officer.Floyd's name joined the long list of those taken from our community-Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and countless more named and unnamed.Floyd's death sparked many discussions about race and racism, and how the system has failed the Black and minority communities in the U.S. and abroad, especially in academic institutions.This "racial awakening" inspired Angeline Dukes, a neuroscience graduate student at the University of California, Irvine, to build a platform for safe and open dialogue about topics circling racism and anti-racism in academia.She tweeted one Friday in early July 2020, "Sooo, when are we doing Black In Neuro Week?" (Figure 1).With that one tweet, she

Source: European Journal of Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15574