Recent years have seen widespread recognition that academia and industry continue to suffer from inequity and lack of diversity to the cost of both individuals and society. Yet many efforts to address the problem are either tokenistic or face institutional barriers to long-term progress. My book is about a program from the 1970s, with the single-minded goal of diversifying science and technology at the highest levels of achievement, that flourished. It is the story of a unique social and political moment in the history of science when a great American lab decided to recruit, train and hire Black scientists. It happened at Bell Labs, the scientific cocoon that nurtured some of the biggest breakthroughs of the 20th century: the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation, the invention of the transistor, the birth of information science. Behind these breakthroughs lie policy decisions. And policy decisions only work with the commitment of people. This book is about the people who formed a Black scientific community.

 

How were Black scientists able to thrive in a 1970s research lab? How did they convince management to hire more Black scientists? And how did the program become so successful in recruiting, training, and creating a network of Black scientists who still speak fondly of it today? Through examining these questions, an analysis of why the program worked and its scientific and human legacies will emerge. I hope this story will provide inspiration to the next generation of scientists and activists striving to create a more equitable scientific community.

 

For a preview, read my feature article on this topic here.  

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