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I went to bed with a flood of beautiful Black faces and woke up to see MORE beautiful Black faces. Seeing Black neurologists, neuroengineers, neuroscientists, neuropharmacologists etc has left me feeling so uplifted. #BlackInNeuroWeek #BlackInNeuro
1/16
1/16
But to all my new followers, this week must be kept in context. There wouldn't have been a #BlackInNeuroWeek without a #BlackBirdersWeek and that week wouldn't have existed without the ongoing fight against police brutality and an incident in Central Park, NY. 2/16
In that incident, we saw (on video) the same type of behaviour that led to the brutal murder of Emmett Till, where lies cost a 14 year old Black boy his life. He would have been 79 on Sunday 25th July. Shoutout to @BlackAFinSTEM
3/16
3/16
Deliberately, my avi is of me in a hoody. Trayvon Martin would have been the same age as me, had he made it to his 25th birthday. I actually celebrate his birthday every year because it is the same as my only sibling.
4/16
4/16
Equally, Breonna Taylor's birthday, is the same day as my cousin who is the same age as me. Those who killed Breonna in her bed still walk free. #SayHerName #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor
5/16
5/16
These events are not isolated, they are the ongoing flashpoints that raise their ugly heads in societies that are built upon systemic racism and anti-blackness. One of my favourite TED talks below. Watch all the way through.
6/16
6/16
You may think this is just an American problem but how about I show you this…
7/16
7/16
or this…
Childbirth
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-49607727/black-women-five-times-more-likely-to-die-in-childbirth
9/16
Childbirth
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-49607727/black-women-five-times-more-likely-to-die-in-childbirth
9/16
Or this…
Education
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Universities-acting-to-close-BAME-student-attainment-gap.aspx#:~:text=While%20there%20was%20an%20increase,to%2081%25%20of%20white%20students.
10/16
Education
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Universities-acting-to-close-BAME-student-attainment-gap.aspx#:~:text=While%20there%20was%20an%20increase,to%2081%25%20of%20white%20students.
10/16
Maybe this lovely relic, the KCMG medal https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/22/calls-for-redesign-of-royal-honour-over-offensive-image.
11/16
11/16
Or the icing on the cake, stop and search policing.
https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/crime-justice-and-the-law/policing/stop-and-search/latest 12/16
https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/crime-justice-and-the-law/policing/stop-and-search/latest 12/16
22,000 stops in a lockdown! 80% of said interactions led to NO FURTHER ACTION. The Met also recently introduced facial recognition technology in London, which we can't even guarantee has been designed to remove racial bias.https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/jul/08/one-in-10-of-londons-young-black-males-stopped-by-police-in-may 13/16
I could go on and on... So today, in a world where I sit in (unpaid) Diversity meetings, giving presentations and being asked to be a free ThinkTank on improving the Black student experience, while people paid to do this job, stutter over the word B-la-ck. 14/16
We will be addressing some of these disparities (in a US context) with regards to neuroscience. #NeuroRacism is today's hashtag and these conversations must be had, so register at http://www.blackinneuro.com and listen to the experts. 15/16
Because when I step out into the world, my 2 masters degrees mean nothing, my PhD candidacy means nothing. I am Black on face value and no amount of “greatness” protects me from the inequalities perpetuated by our societies. #BlackInNeuro
THE END
THE END
