Creating environments where women of color can thrive*

I have been exploring where women of color complete physics degrees. Despite the fact that women of color (Black, American Indian, Asian and Asian American women and Latinas) are clustered in women’s colleges and minority-serving institutions, most women of color nonetheless study physics at large, predominantly White institutions where they are deeply isolated. Thus, it is imperative that all physics professors know how to create departments where women of color can thrive.
I will begin with some theory to help understand the experiences of women of color in physics, including intersectionality and implicit bias. Next I will present data about the extreme under-representation of women of color in physics and patterns in where they are completing physics degrees. I will also present what little is known about these women’s typical experiences, which, unfortunately, are often discouraging and alienating.
Next, I will describe the findings from an ethnography I conducted at a physics department where women of color reported a strong sense of belonging. I will describe typical student experiences in this department (for all students, not just the women of color) and then pinpoint the actions taken by physics faculty that I believe created this positive environment. Typical experiences of the women of color (and all students, for that matter) include having a lot of friends among physics majors, feeling comfortable asking other students for help, and trusting their professors for help both with physics and with handling racism and sexism. Typical actions by professors including insisting that students collaborate and support one another during group work and emphasizing that success in physics comes from hard work rather than innate ability.