In President Barack Obama’s Inauguration Speech, he vowed “to restore science to its rightful place” in society. Wow, that fills me with an excitement and eagerness to do and share science more than before. However, what is science’s rightful place in society? What place should science have in the African-American community?
There has been a long and understandably uneasy relationship between the Black Community and Science. Being regarded as less-than-human by other groups has put many of our fore-parents in harm’s way. I could drone on about unethical medical research and heartless medical providers, but “this is a new day”, as Obama declared. It is time to restore Science – the offspring Education and Intellectualism – to its rightful place in our community.
In order to restore science to its rightful place, we must first acknowledge what science is. Science is a pursuit of knowledge. It drives us to question, to critique, to hypothesize, to measure, to evaluate, to interpret, and to propose solutions to our community’s most pressing needs. It is an exercise of intellect, discipline and curiosity that compels us to want to understand our world and to make it better. Restoring science to its rightful place requires a dedication for us all to become scientifically literate – to understand science and use it to enhance our lives.
Science is simply information about our world, our environment, and our health.People’s lives are impacted by information, and failing to comprehend information can be very detrimental. I have personally witnessed the heartbreaking consequences of scientific illiteracy in our community, such as individuals deciding to forgo life-saving medical procedures, not following a doctor’s health advice, moving into environmentally hazardous buildings, and sharing false information about health or medical issues with others. Many of us have confused superstition as fact, and have paid the price. Moreover, many of our social circles do not include scientists or doctors so we have no one to call when questions arise. Image how much better our lives would be if science were a part of the decisions we made about our health, our children, and our environment?
The rightful place of science is in our day-to-day dialogue with friends and family. The rightful place of science is at our dinner table, happy hour gatherings, within the banter of men in barber shops and among the chatter of ladies in hair salons. Science rightfully belongs to us, the people. It is not some mysterious activity done by ‘others’. No, many of the greatest scientists of all time came from our community:
- Dr. Charles H. Turner*
- Dr. Edward Bouchet*
- Dr. George Washington Carver
- Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Dr. Mae Jemison
- Dr. Ian Smith
- Dr. Shirley Jackson
- Dr. James Gates
- Dr. Maydianne Andrade
- Dr. Shirley Malcolm
Science is the handiest of tools in our arsenal against discrimination, poverty, hunger, socio-economic disparity and environmental injustice. The rightful place of science in our society and the African-American community is within us.
*Both were teachers at Sumner High School of St. Louis, Missouri in the early 1900s.
Vetmomof2
I love reading your blogs and sharing them. My concern is that sometimes you make statements that seem to diminish what others might think about a particular issue which gets them caught up and not listening to what you say. It can come off as snobbish rather than passionate.
So at the risk of doing the very thing that I am pointing out, for example, you say you could “drone on†which makes it seem like you are dismissive of other people’s issue with science and black folk guinea pigs. Instead of drone on perhaps use “speak volumes onâ€Â. It would not only acknowledge the past but you can then lead into the suggestion that as educated 21st century, active, activist, black folk we need to be not only aware of the past but be involved so that we can ensure that it never happens again. Anyway, I know what you want to do is get people thinking, advocating and actively engaged in the sciences, I don’t want people to run from your message or dismiss it.
February 2, 2009 at 12:19 pm
gib
quite frankly, i avoided science like the plague. didn't have to take one in college because of high school credits. but, i fully agree. embracing ways to pursue “knowledge … questions, to critique, to hypothesize, to measure, to evaluate, to interpret” is how we free ourselves. i see that in many arenas. limited thinking on any topic is dangerous (science, religion, ethics, finances) – the ignorance may be bliss, but it's also shackling. thx for the post!
February 3, 2009 at 8:11 am
Open Lab selections 2009 « Seeds Aside
[...] The rightful place of the science and the African-American community from the Young Black Professional Guide. [...]
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