It May Not Be Possible to Achieve Racial Equity in American Scientific Research
Quillette | Robert J. Morris
In a data-driven piece, Morris questions and sets out to examine whether demands for racial equity in STEM are feasible—in sum, he argues, there’s a supply issue.
Regarding equity, he explains, “these voices are not calling for equality of opportunity, but equality of outcome—proportional representation for minorities in the fields of science and medicine…[yet], how many minority students in the STEM pipeline today could realistically become the medical practitioners and medical and scientific researchers of tomorrow?”
He finds that an “analysis of the percentage of minority (specifically black and Hispanic) students who are academically prepared for careers in STEM fields is sobering, and highlights the difficulty of achieving equity in STEM fields. It contains information, all in the public domain, of which advocates of equity in medicine and science seem to be unaware or which they refuse to acknowledge.”
Morris then addresses the use of affirmative action to boost representation, delving into the SFFA vs. Harvard case and the use of holistic admissions, an approach that takes into account factors “that cannot make up for academic underperformance.”
Morris doesn’t provide answers in this piece, but asks equity proponents to face reality so that answers can be found.
