Individuals from minoritized racial and ethnic groups continue to face systemic barriers that impede their ability to access, persist, and thrive in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) higher education and workforce. Without actively dismantling policies and practices that disadvantage people from minoritized groups, STEMM organizations stand to lose much needed talent and innovation as well as the ideas that come from having a diverse workforce.

A new report from the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences examines the backdrop of systemic racism in the United States that has harmed and continues to harm people from minoritized groups, which is critical for understanding the unequal representation in STEMM. The report outlines actions that top leaders and gatekeepers in STEMM organizations, such as presidents and chief executive officers, can take to foster a culture and climate of antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion that is genuinely accessible and supportive to all.

Table of Contents

Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction PART I 2 The Historical and Contemporary Context for Structural, Systemic, and Institutional Racism in the United States 3 Population Data and Demographics in the United States PART II 4 Lived Experiences and Other Ways of Knowing in STEMM PART III 5 Minoritized Individuals in STEMM: Consequences and Responses to Racial Bias and How STEMM Professionals Can Help 6 The Gatekeepers of STEMM: How Individual Bias and Inequality Persist and How STEMM Professionals Can Help 7 Diverse Work Teams: Understanding the Challenges and How STEMM Professionals Can Leverage the Strengths 8 Understanding Organizations and the Role of Leadership in Developing a Culture of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 9 Research Agenda Appendix A: Increasing Participation of Underrepresented Groups in STEM: Themes from Four Recent National Academies Reports Appendix B: Comparison Tables of Science and Engineering Degrees Earned by Race and Ethnicity and Gender in 2011 and 2019 Appendix C: Process for Panel's Interviews Appendix D: Glossary Appendix E: Committee and Staff Biosketches