Overview

Little is known about the actual experiences African American Ph.D. chemists. This national study seeks to change this by exploring the group's historical presence in the chemistry community, their family backgrounds, educational experiences, career patterns and work experiences, professional activities, and attitudes towards race and science. The book provides significant insight into the factors that affect the careers of these scientists and, importantly, gives voice to the many men and women who overcame discrimination, prejudice, and racism to build successful scientific careers. Although 70 percent of those interviewed felt that their careers had been hindered by discrimination, less than a handful expressed any regrets about choosing a career in chemistry. Remarkably, these chemists refused to allow racism to stifle their achievement. Several key findings are reported. First, the opportunity structure for African Americans in chemistry differed dramatically overtime. This was due, in large measure, to significant changes in federal policy and legislation affecting their civil rights, especially the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The changes brought unprecedented access to high-quality education and professional careers. Before the mid-1960s, African American Ph.D.s were usually confined to employment in predominantly black colleges and universities, where a fair number receive their undergraduate education. Since that time, most African Americans who have earn their doctorate in chemistry have their baccalaureate origins in predominantly white colleges and universities and typically begin their careers in outside predominantly black employment settings. Second, some chemists often found themselves making agonizing decisions between continuing to do the research that they were trained to do and selecting more financially lucrative administrative roles. Too often, the administrative roles in industry were in those areas with little or no impact on corporate decision-making such as human resources, Equal Employment Opportunity, etc. Third, African American women chemists reported frequent instances of confronting both racism and sexism. Moreover, another significant challenge for them was the stress associated with balancing a scientific career and family. Fourth, for many of those chemists who were the first or only African Americans in their positions, feelings of isolation was a common visitor. Finally, although a disproportionate number of the chemists had their birth origins in the South, however, most pursued their careers outside the region and branched out across the nation. Many of those individuals had profound impacts in both industrial and academic settings but this book also chronicles the hardships that many faced. This book provides the opportunity for a full range of voices, from a number of perspectives, to be heard.

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