Episode 23 – Gaslighting, Non-Apologies and Other White Nonsense

Departments, universities and advisors are massively failing the current moment of national crisis around Black Lives and police brutality. Too many remain silent, or issue vague, pitiful milquetoast messages repeating tired claims of support for “diversity and inclusion.” In this episode, Kel and Karen talk about the damage this silence and gaslighting does to Black students, faculty, and staff, and how both white institutions and individuals can overcome fear of doing things wrong, try and rise to the occasion, and learn to apologize effectively and non-defensively on the inevitable occasions when we screw up. We also promote the #Strike4BlackLives called by Black scholars in Physics and Astonomy for Wednesday June 10, and the hashtag #BlackInTheIvory, created by Joy Melody Woods and Dr. Sharde Davis, that has released an explosion of voices sharing experiences anti-Black racism in the academy. White folks: we need to read, to listen, to speak up in non-intrusive ways, and #DoBetter