Straight talk about race in academia

James Mickens participated in an MIT panel about ongoing challenges for Black scholars.

“It is exhausting to have to explain some of these things to well-intentioned but confused people,” Mickens said. “But one thing I’ve seen at least personally in my career, and when I look at the careers of my friends, and other folks, is that Black scholars who’ve been able to thread that needle — and on the one hand speak with some of that fire and point out things that are problematic in the ivory tower, but also build coalitions, create a sense of community, not just among other Black scholars but among white scholars, not just women but men as well — those people tend to be the most effective.”

Read more in MIT News