Read on Twitter
Diversity and inclusion is not really the way to liberation for all working class people and therefore it is not the hill I'll die on, but just want to share some thoughts on academic mentorship. //1
Medical training mostly prepares you to robotically accomplish billable tasks and safely care for patients, and there are mountains of important knowledge there, but there's a lot to learn beyond that. /2
Here are some things about mentorship to consider, particularly as it relates to people whose families are not full of doctors and academics. 3/
"How can I help you?" is a hard question to answer for someone approaching you with a desire to learn about your field. If they don't have a clear answer, assume that it reflects socially determined exposure, not their competence or work ethic. /4
Spend time trying to understand their interest. Help them understand what (your) research is and isn't, what it can and can't do, who you can connect them with that may have relevant field knowledge and will treat them with respect and kindness regardless of status. 5/
Academia is strange. Make an effort to make the cultural and professional norms of your academic space explicit and navigable. These things that some people pick up from their families and organic relationships, many of us do not. /6
If everyone you have mentoring relationships with is very self motivated, super confident, knows exactly what they want from you and asks for it, you should also consider who isn't asking for your help and why. Then look at how white your department or circle is, how wealthy. /7
Minorities and people from poor families are not bereft of self esteem or in need of saving, but we are less likely to naturally understand how to move through these heavily gated fields, and need help to do so. /8
If you're positioned to mentor people, you're likely hustling and climbing just to secure your own job, and it's hard to make time to mentor people who you don't think have earned your time. Maybe you even feel some folks have wasted your time in the past. /9
That's all real, and you're not individually responsible for fixing all of society. /10
But if you only mentor relatable intellectuals that seem like a young version of yourself, your field is probably missing out, and so are young researchers that couldn't afford a gap year, another degree, or a low paying research job.
