Racism and harassment are common in field research — scientists are speaking up

Nature

Josh Anadu had been at the receiving end of uncomfortable stares before. As a Black environmental-science undergraduate, he had become “pretty used to” being regarded with suspicion while collecting field data in the predominantly white areas surrounding his institution, Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. But he never expected to come face-to-face with white supremacists.

One day in June, while mapping subterranean soil composition during a summer internship in Springfield, Missouri, Anadu and another Black scientist found themselves blocked into the parking area of a local business by a crane. As they waited for the machine to move, they noticed the hostile stares of other men in the area — one of whom was driving a truck decorated with white-power symbols. Unable to leave, they radioed for back-up.

“Just get yourself out of there,” Anadu recalls his supervisor saying. After the event, the company Anadu was interning for held several safety meetings to discuss how to handle such incidents in the future. And when he gets back to university later this year, Anadu hopes to spark similar conversations in his department — before any other students find themselves in a similar situation.