Ten simple rules for creating and sustaining antiracist graduate programs

Abstract

In 2020, the combination of police killings of unarmed Black people, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought about public outrage over long-standing inequalities in society. The events of 2020 ignited global attention to systemic racism and racial inequalities, including the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the academy and especially in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields. Racial and ethnic diversity in graduate programs in particular warrants special attention as graduate students of color report experiencing alarming rates of racism, discrimination, microaggressions, and other exclusionary behaviors. As part of the Graduate Dean’s Advisory Council on Diversity (GDACD) at the University of California Merced, the authors of this manuscript held a year-long discussion on these issues and ways to take meaningful action to address these persistent issues of injustices. We have outlined 10 rules to help graduate programs develop antiracist practices to promote racial and ethnic justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in the academy. We focus on efforts to address systemic causes of the underrepresentation and attrition of students from minoritized communities. The 10 rules are developed to allow graduate groups to formulate and implement rules and policies to address root causes of underrepresentation of minoritized students in graduate education.

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“…Research plays a critical role in advancing DEI in higher education. It provides an evidence-based foundation for understanding the challenges and opportunities associated with promoting DEI and for identifying effective strategies to address them (Perez-Lopez, et al, 2022). For instance, a study conducted by Chang et al (2014) found that student interaction with diverse peers was positively associated with gains in critical thinking, problemsolving, and leadership skills.…”

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“…Ten Simple Rules are more to develop soft skills, career promotion/advancement (how to organize a scientific conference [ 9 ], write your cover letter [ 10 ], write a literature review [ 11 ], etc. ), or other broad issues in scientific practice (e.g., models for successful collaboration [ 12 , 13 ], developing scientific communities [ 14 ], or practicing inclusive science [ 15 , 16 ]).…”