Untold Stories from the Archives
The halls of science whisper untold stories. Whose stories get told, and in what way, is often a function of the storytellers' privilege. Today, we're speaking up to share these stories—and amplify Academy voices that have been marginalized for too long.
In 2021 in the wake of the George Floyd murder and the ensuing racial reckoning in the United States, the Library created a project to highlight contributions of Academy staff and scientists whose contributions may have been overlooked due to their identity. The history of science is often filled with the accomplishments of White male scientists, and by telling these stories we want to create a fuller and truer picture of our history. Academy Library Staff and Careers in Science high school interns created profiles using archival materials to shed light on these stories.
To tell the whole story, we also had to set the context about the Academy’s own colonial history, which would explain why so few people from underrepresented groups were allowed into the field of science. These individuals faced barriers to make their way at the Academy, but they also had their own biases and at times racist views, and we felt it necessary to tell their story in its entirety.
You can meet the first cohort of students and Library staff from 2021, and hear their reflections on working this project and the people they profiled.