Gaslighting in the Academy: Actually Making Black Lives Matter

As visibility of the killing of unarmed black men by police has increased, a movement to address racial inequities in the United States has gained steam, and neither academia nor STEM researchers are immune. In addition, the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on black and brown people has led to a tipping point driving activism nationwide. However, the risk remains that the moment will pass and that structures supporting systemic racism will remain, once again, gaslighting academics and students of color into thinking that change is coming.

You will walk away being able to:

• Uncover micro-to-mega activities that occur on a daily basis that sustain racial inequities
• Understand the toll it takes on recipients
• Learn about changes that you can make to promote anti-racist practices
• Transform the academic culture

About Manu Platt

Manu Platt received his PhD from the Georgia Tech and Emory University joint program in biomedical engineering in 2006, where he returned as a faculty member in 2009 after completing his postdoctoral training at MIT in orthopedic tissue engineering and systems biology. Now a tenured professor, his research centers on proteolytic mechanisms of tissue remodeling during disease progression using both experimental and computational approaches. In addition, Platt is a champion for diversity in science and engineering. He is co-founder and director of Project ENGAGES, a program that provides African American high school students research opportunities at Georgia Tech.

About Critical Conversations

Critical Conversations was launched in 2020 as a way for Gladstone community members to challenge and empower themselves by considering different ways of thinking through the lens of others. These discussions will encourage you to reframe or shift your perspective. All community members are encouraged to participate and continue the dialogue outside this forum.