Chapter 4: Recruitment, Admissions, Progression and Procedures, and Mentorship and Leadership

Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done.

You do not have to be me in order for us to fight alongside each other. I do not have to be you to recognize that our wars are the same. What we must do is commit ourselves to some future that can include each other and to work toward that future with the particular strengths of our individual identities. And in order for us to do this, we must allow each other our differences at the same time as we recognize our sameness.

Over the years, I've been asked why I didn't hold back as the “model minority” stereotype dictates, to avoid being the nail that sticks out. Here's why: I've always believed that if you can possibly make a positive difference in this world, why wouldn't any caring person do so? We have the power of our voices. If not now, when?

This chapter of the report focuses on study participants' responses regarding experiences with recruitment, admissions, progression through analytic training, mentorship, career-building, and leadership. The findings show significant differences in the experience of analytic training for BIPOC and white participants, suggesting multiple arenas of racial bias and discriminatory processes. Candidates as a whole and BIPOC faculty acknowledged the presence of racial and economic privilege and disadvantage at their institutes in similar ways. In contrast to candidates and BIPOC faculty, a smaller percentage of white faculty reported advantages afforded to applicants or candidates who are white, male, or have relatively higher socioeconomic status. Such differences suggest that white faculty may underestimate the negative impact of systemic racism on applicants and candidates of color.