>>Pointedly, Anderson argued that “city’s public spaces, workplaces, and neighborhoods” are white spaces; spaces that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color must navigate to exist. “White Space” refers to spaces where whiteness and White people belong, and BIPOC can receive quick reminders that we do not.
This makes me think about my city and neighborhood. Our city has a town square and while the people who use it are definitely diverse, I do think how BIPOC who move through it experience it differently than I do or other white people do. Even in our neighborhood, which is majority BIPOC, there’s still an underlying level of difference in public spaces like parks and roads. I know I worry about potential interactions with the police with the young Black kids in our neighborhood much more for than my kids.
>>Even though those institutions hold minority-serving status, they remain predominantly white (PWI). Therefore, minority-serving institutions exist in white space.
It feels like almost any institutions that are part of a larger institutional landscape – as universities are as part of the academic landscape – will be predominantly white. As someone who works in science communication, this is something I’ve been thinking about a lot in terms of science and scientific institutions. The way that science is done in America (and much of the world) is really rooted in European and colonialist ways of thought and knowing. As a result, is it even possible for us to break out of that predominant whiteness? I think it is, but it requires a radical rethinking of what science, research, and the research community means. As important as representation is and getting a diversity of both scientists in the media / social media and actually on grants, it has to go so much further than that. I know unless I specifically think about working against that “all-knowing science” and “lone white male genius” lenses in our messaging that I just end up reinforcing those toxic foundations. In addition to supporting existing groups for multicultural scientists, there’s a continual effort and need to make it so “public” scientific spaces are not inherently white. That really will require those concessions and resources mentioned in the end of this essay.
