B-Scientists 2.0

B-Scientists! That’s the motto of the Black Science Coalition and Institute (B-SCI) and the name of this new platform. Through multimedia journalism and science communication we’re aiming to amplify Black and marginalized voices and explore the wonders and complicated universe that underrepresented communities are often excluded from. 

But it’s not the first time we’ve used this phrase. 

In 2019, Dr. Jana Carpenter, one of our founding members, offhandedly said, “be scientists” during the development of our first podcast. She would eventually co-host “B-Scientists” with B-SCI president Jordan Chapman. It was simple and everything B-SCI wanted and continues to stand for.

But launching B-Scientists was anything but simple. We recorded several episodes in August 2019 and planned on releasing them in the spring. Then the COVID-19 pandemic began. A few months later a series of murders, including that of George Floyd, led to protests around the country. 

Floyd’s murder, on May 25, 2020, happened the same day as a confrontation between a Black man in Central Park and a white woman walking her dog. The white woman accused the Black man, Christian Cooper, of assaulting her. However, Cooper was birdwatching in the park when he encountered the woman’s unleashed dog, which is illegal in the park. He asked her to put a leash on the dog, and the confrontation began.

Birdwatching isn’t an activity that many consider “Black”. Outdoor events in general aren’t considered “Black”. Hoping to end such narratives, the murder of Floyd and the Black birding incident led to the first Black Birders Week in 2020 by the Black AF in STEM Collective. This led to other weeks, such as “Black in Chem” week and “Black in Marine Science” week, and the founding of their respective organizations. The Black In X network and movement were in full swing. 

B-SCI joined the network and movement a few months later, and we have been proud to support and work with many of them to advance diversity in STEM. Within the movement, we’ve aimed to bring more attention to inspirational scientists from Black and underserved backgrounds, while also making science more accessible. 

We believe the original B-Scientists podcast succeeded at this—eventually. From bad audio quality to even having to re-record an entire episode, the original B-Scientists podcast was a learning experience. But a rewarding one as we interviewed Black scientists across different fields, from archaeology, astronomy, and psychiatry. 

As B-Scientists grew, we began discussing how to expand. 

Now our plans have come to fruition after much discussion at B-SCI of what B-Scientists should look like. A platform that allows Black and underrepresented communities to engage with science at all levels. 

This expanded version of B-Scientists comes at a time when federal budget cuts place the future of basic scientific research in unknown territory. Diversity initiatives that preceded and were uplifted by the George Floyd protests are being eliminated. Even words that deal with scientific facts have been censored. The media landscape and journalism have been turbulent for some time, but free speech concerns and the ethics of using artificial intelligence will continue to keep things in flux. 

As the world continues to become more complex, we need to remember that everyone can be scientists. But science doesn’t happen without mistakes either. In fact, some of science’s worst mistakes, like eugenics and unethical human testing, led to decades of harm against Black and underrepresented communities. And unfortunately, we haven’t completely moved on from these dangerous thoughts. 

Yet, those same communities pushed for more, progressing society and science for all humanity. They rose above the emotions and reactions of the day. The logo of B-SCI calls back to them, a fist raised above an Erlenmeyer flask. 

B-Scientists will be another step for us to join conversations on the barriers that still exist for marginalized people, acknowledge their contributions, and feed the curiosity that is often tampered by voices shouting “that’s not Black”. In every story—a challenge to reconsider how we experience the universe. 

In a few days, we’ll launch our new Down the Scope podcast, here on B-Scientists.com, and wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s a deep-dive podcast that jumps into interesting—sometimes familiar and sometimes not—stories that center around science. And at some point, we hope to bring back the B-Scientists podcast, it’s the origin of this platform after all. But we hope it doesn’t stop there, as we hope to bring short-form documentaries, data visualizations, graphics, art, and more to bring color and inspiration to science. 

Science is a body of knowledge and a process. So, this will be just that. And we’re hoping that you join us, not just to read, watch, or listen. Join us in discussing, writing, and recording the world and universe we interact with every day. 

B-Scientists with us. 

Visit our submission page if you have a story idea.

For more information about B-Scientists, please email us at submissions@b-scientists.com

For more information about B-SCI, please email us at contactus@thebsci.org