What made you join Racism Lab and how has it contributed to your research? I joined RacismLab because a colleague and dear friend, Dr. Courtney McCluney invited me to be a part of the team. I was interested in finding spaces that pushed me to think creatively on how to study structural racism and its associated processes. Given the interdisciplinarity of the group, I was exposed to new methods and theories that challenged me to think more explicitly about how to leverage quantitative methods to create structural change. It was transformational for me in my research progression given that mistakes and questions were welcomed and understood as a part of the learning process, not as a reflection of my intellectual worth. A key aspect of this process was how we modeled the iterations of research, rather than just focusing on the final product. Seeing a variety of scholars across the research pipeline from graduate students to postdocs, as well as new and senior faculty invite me to help them think through the next steps of their research process shaped the ways I both receive and provide critical and meaningful feedback.
A large component of Racism Lab has involved sharing our work to receive feedback and input from one another. What did this aspect of Racism Lab do for you as a scholar, overall? My first first-author manuscript was largely drafted and re-drafted in my work with RacismLab. RacismLab supported me through some of the earliest stages of writing, where I did not quite have a solid draft, but I was actively brainstorming. The feedback from the members of RacismLab helped me feel confident that I was articulating an important idea, and they helped me to see where the strengths and the holes were in my theory. My integrated theory of Ethnic-Racial Identity and Critical Consciousness (Mathews et al., 2020) serves as the foundation of my empirical work, as I test out how these two processes interact in the lives of Black and Latinx youth.
What is your current project or area of research? Please share what you’re most excited to be working on.Right now, I am thinking about how do ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness processes impact the ways youth of color think about and engage STEM learning. I am excited to use my work as a tool to address equity issues and access to STEM spaces, particularly in thinking about how more representations of scientists of color in adolescence can be critical to inspire the next generation of STEM learners.
What made you join Racism Lab and how has it contributed to your research?