In 2017, Duke University commemorated 50 years of Black faculty scholarship with a series of lectures. These events gave Gustavo Silva, who had just joined Duke as an assistant professor of Biology, a chance to connect with fellow Black faculty members across campus.
Grateful for a chance to build a network, Silva recognized that there were likely other Black scholars at Duke still looking to create a network. And he felt they shouldn’t have to wait for a big anniversary celebration to do it.
That’s why Silva and Assistant Professor of English Jarvis McInnis created the Black Think Tank, a platform to help Duke’s Black faculty scholars collaborate, connect and support efforts to hire, retain, promote, and advance Black colleagues.