Dr. Johnna Frierson participated in the inaugural #BlackinMicrobiology week in September, sitting on a panel discussing Stem Education Disparities in the Black Community. She was later interviewed about the importance of this initiative and others in the scientific community for an article in The New York Times, particularly for inspiring the next generation of Black individuals to pursue a career STEM. She shares that “There’s something in the system that is not optimized in order for us to continue diversifying in the way we hope to,” after observing the number of Black scientists has been stagnant, or even declining in some places. Hopefully, through this initiative and others like it, Black scientists can continue to create and expand space for their work and research.
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