Meaningful change should start in the Western world, argues SA health ombudsman
A new environment must be created globally that welcomes Black scientists in order to address racism in academia, according to Malegapuru Makgoba, South Africa’s health ombudsman.
The Black Lives Movement and inequalities in health outcomes from Covid-19 has raised awareness about structural racism in societies around the world, the former vice-chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal writes in Science this week.
But the scientific enterprise is “in denial” about its inherent racism, he argues—a situation which urgently needs to change.
“Black scientists encounter discrimination when they embark on a science career in Western countries. The overwhelming message from their experiences is that the culture of academic science where Black scientists are underrepresented is riddled with deeply entrenched racism of various forms and subtleties,” he writes.
Often, white scientists refuse to believe and acknowledge this racism and the alienation experienced by their Black counterparts, he adds: “White scientists may think that they know what racism is and that they can better explain to Black scientists the experiences that those Black individuals have endured. This dismissive attitude ignores the reality of discrimination and alienation experienced by Black scientists.”
Consequently, he argues, even the best and brightest Black scientists can be excluded from recognition and acceptance into top training programmes.
Makgoba says the scientific establishment has a choice: to keep avoiding the subject or confront it. “But it cannot stop the train of change—it has left the station.”
“For equality in the global scientific enterprise to be addressed, meaningful change should start in the Western world’s scientific system, where a new environment must be created in which not only Black scientists but all scientists can thrive—one that values human dignity, equity, and social justice,” he writes.