Cultural Tax: The Cost of Being the Only or the Few

What’s the price you pay when you walk into a room? For Black STEM students and professionals—as well as individuals from other underrepresented groups—there’s a cost to entering the classroom, lab, conference, and more. Tyrone Porter, professor at UT Austin, has paid this tax on countless occasions in his STEM career. His experience, while not unique, provides a deeper look into what many students and professionals also encounter. Porter offers his best prescription for confronting what can often be a silent burden and putting a stop to the cultural tax many pay.

This event was hosted as part of the series Amplified: Race and Reality in STEM. Amplified: Race and Reality in STEM aims to give a national platform to speakers to have candid conversations around race and diversity in the STEM fields. Launched in 2020 as part of Gladstone’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, this series is hosted in partnership with Georgia Tech, the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute at University of Washington, and The University of Texas at Austin. We hope these discussions spark change throughout the sciences.