National Academies Release Report on Antiracism in Science Organizations

On February 14, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) held a webinar marking the release of a report on Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations. The report aims to identify structural barriers to participation in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) by minoritized individuals and provides recommendations on how the scientific community can instigate meaningful changes to remove these barriers and instill principles of antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI).

The report offers the following recommendations to the scientific community:

• Federal funding agencies and other grantmaking organizations should increase funding to better understand how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) support their students and faculty and how to translate the principles of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to predominantly White institutions.
• Statistical agencies such as the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) should collect demographic data of students considering STEMM degrees.
• Leaders and decisionmakers at STEMM organizations should increase admission, hiring, and inclusion of minoritized individuals. They should also invest in evidence-based programs that connect minoritized individuals to peers and internal resources, connect with high-status professionals, and develop institutional norms that promote inclusion.
• STEMM organizations should collect data on the decisions of their leadership and how gatekeeping may occur within organizations and add antiracist responsibilities to leadership positions.
• Team leaders at scientific organizations should intentionally develop inclusive conditions within the work environments.
• Organizational leaders should develop processes to evaluate the role of individual bias and discrimination in organizational practices. They should also anticipate the potential for internal resistance to ADEI efforts and respond accordingly.
• Leaders of STEMM organizations should use a framework to evaluate norms and values of the institution and identify specific ways to address norms that impede diversity.

The report can be read in full on the NASEM website.