united states of meryl

August 8, 2014

securelyinsecure:
Meet Jedidah Isler
She is the first black woman to earn a PhD in astronomy from Yale University.
As much as she loves astrophysics, Isler is very aware of the barriers that still remain for young women of color going into science. “It’s unfortunately an as-yet-unresolved part of the experience,” she says. She works to lower those barriers, and also to improve the atmosphere for women of color once they become scientists, noting that “they often face unique barriers as a result of their position at the intersection of race and gender, not to mention class, socioeconomic status and potentially a number of other identities.”
While Isler recounts instances of overt racial and gender discrimination that are jaw-dropping, she says more subtle things happen more often. Isler works with the American Astronomical Society’s commission on the status of minorities in astronomy.
She also believes that while things will improve as more women of color enter the sciences, institutions must lead the way toward creating positive environments for diverse student populations. That is why she is active in directly engaging young women of color: for example participating in a career exploration panel on behalf of the Women’s Commission out of the City of Syracuse Mayor’s Office, meeting with high-achieving middle-school girls. She is also on the board of trustees at the Museum of Science and Technology (MOST).
“Whether I like it or not, I’m one of only a few women of color in this position,” she says. “Addressing these larger issues of access to education and career exploration are just as important as the astrophysical work that I do.”
Learn more:
http://news.syr.edu/getting-to-know-astrophysicist-jedidah-isler-74966/
http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7480-471a
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/12/17/251957062/a-graduate-program-works-to-diversify-the-science-world
https://twitter.com/JedidahIslerPhD
As a black woman also interested in STEM but working as the token in a graduate school, I am in awe of and agreement with her. At my job people keep telling me their 100% white departments “just happened that way” while they hire their friends, lovers, and spouses without advertising open positions and giving possible qualified candidates-of any race and/or gender-a fair shot, all while slyly reminding me I should be grateful they let me stay. The environment is grating at best and hostile at worst and that shit needs to change.