Happy Friday and thanks again for coming to read another Black Academia This Week. As always, this blog post is to expand upon the Instagram TV (IGTV) series on @blkgradstudent. This post is also to share what is happening weekly in the black community within the academic space. I hope you enjoy the 3 topics this week.
1: Disciplinary changes for a Dallas school district to benefit Black students
The Dallas Independent School District will be moving away from suspensions for small misdemeanors. Examples of small misdemeanors could include profanity or disrupting classes. Instead of suspensions, repercussions will consist of more mental health focused solutions, such as therapy and speaking to guidance counselors. The approach in mind helps the student push through the issue as opposed to send them home still carrying that issue’s weight. Overall, this approach is being done to address the disparity that Black students have when it comes to suspensions within the district. While suspensions have been a staple punishment within school districts across the nation, school districts are starting to change their approach to discipline. Dallas Independent School District will be one of the first school districts in Texas to implement this change, dramatically helping lower its suspension rate for Black students.
For more information, you can review the following information: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/27/texas-dallas-schools-rules-black-students/
2: Black biomedical researchers lagging in funding and the impact
Statistics show that Black biomedical researchers are still lacking in funding relative to their counterparts. While this has been something seen in a variety of different academic areas, the impact in the biomedical space has a huge effect. Without Black biomedical researchers being able to fund themselves, we are seeing a lot of Black researchers dropping out of their programs. This attributes to low numbers of Black biomedical researchers in the field, and this impacts research into diseases or illnesses that are more prevalent in the Black community. This is a huge impact as this leads to bias within the medical field, and could cost lives. Currently, the best path forward would be to provide more funding opportunities to Black biomedical students. Major corporations are looking to address this by providing an influx of cash that government is not able to provide on its own. Right now it is estimated that around $32 million is needed to address the gap.
For more thorough analysis you can read: https://www.britannica.com/story/black-biomedical-scientists-still-lag-in-research-funding–heres-why-that-matters-to-allamericans
3: SDSU film professor use a terrible ideology example
Before reading this, please watch the video above. Now that you have watched it, this scenario is completely not ok. I have been in a similar situation with a Sociology TA, but my scenario went like this.
TA: “Where were all the Black men at the time?”
Students: No answers
TA: “I will give you a hint, they were in the same place they are today.”
Student: “Jail!”
TA: “Yeah.” Laughing until she makes eye contact with me the only Black male in the room.
UCR Sociology TA
This is not an uncommon scenario for Black students to face what I would call the “awkward example”. It may be incidental, and it might not, either way the examples that I have experienced and this class experienced should not be occurring. My situation happened in 2012, but seeing that even 9 years later other students are experiencing an example like this is not ok. I know this last topic is not uplifting but I want to create a space where students feel comfortable. If this has ever happened to you or you have come across the awkward example, please feel free to reach out to me below.
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