NHFP Anti-Racism Initiative

This site is dedicated to sustained, collective actions to improve equity and take the first steps to dismantle institutional racism in the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) and beyond.  As our initiative develops and expands over the coming years, we aim to ensure that our actions continue to reflect core values of anti-racism and center Black and Indigenous experiences.  This site includes:

1. Resources that help to create a more equitable system for NHFP applicants, including publicly available NHFP applications, NHFP application workshops, and feedback from current NHFP fellows on your fellowship application materials.

2. The Astronomy Mentorship Program for Upcoming Postdocs (AMP-UP) to assist graduate students in building their careers.

3. Information about our anti-racism advocacy goals.

4. Literature to assist with further action.

On Wednesday June 10th 2020, the #StrikeforBlackLives and #ShutdownSTEM movements issued a call for an academic strike and a call to action for addressing anti-Black racism. 

To steward a new generation of students, research staff, and faculty in physics means to acknowledge our collective responsibility to combat anti-Blackness, not just on campus, but also in the streets, in governance, and society at large. Ending white supremacy is a matter of urgency, yet far too often, instead of using power to question institutional practices and advocate for Black students, faculty and staff, many senior academics and administrators retreat to the Ivory Tower, disengaging from the pursuit of justice.                         — Particles for Justice

The Strike for Black Lives and similar efforts have long been the domain of marginalized scientists, placing the burden of dismantling racism in academia on those most affected.  As a start toward pushing back against institutional practices that contribute to racism, we, the NHFP fellows, propose a long-term organizing effort.

Systemic racism in STEM is a pervasive problem, reflected in the underrepresentation of Black scientists across the student, postdoctoral, and faculty levels. BIPOC scientists have spoken out about the ways in which racism has acted as a barrier to advancement and inclusion in their scientific communities and across the scientific enterprise. The AIP TEAMUP report released in January 2020 has identified the factors within institutions that contribute to the underrepresentation of Black students in physics and astronomy at the undergraduate level. 

The ultimate goal of this effort is to take sustained collective action toward dismantling institutional racism within our scientific communities. As NHFP fellows, we believe that the program should be about cultivating scientific leadership. Scientific leadership constitutes not only excellence in research, but excellence in mentorship, communication, collaboration and advocacy. All of these components together comprise the broader scientific enterprise.

This website is dedicated to explaining the mission of this effort — the core values we are organizing around — as well as the process that we are adopting and the actions we wish to take. Our efforts are expected to be revisited and revised annually as new members join our cohort.