Astronomy is the study of everything in the universe beyond Earth's atmosphere. That includes objects we can see with our naked eyes, like the Sun, the Moon, the planets, and the stars. It also includes objects we can only see with telescopes or other instruments, like faraway galaxies and tiny particles (What is Astronomy?, n.d.). This discipline, like many others, has had a problem with inclusivity. Currently, astronomers are 90 percent white, about 1 percent black,about 1 percent Latino and 0 percent Native American. Students of color do not see themselves represented in Astronomy faculty and that is one reason for most students of color who enter as Astronomy majors to change their major. Like other fields of study, some of the issues creating this lack of diversity in faculty include representation in the field at large, and a long path to tenure. (McCrea, 2020)The Banneker Institute, named after Benjamin Banneker,creator of the Farmer’s Almanac,and the first Black Astronomer,was formed for undergraduate students of color to pursue graduate programs in astronomy, focusing on research, graduate coursework, and social science education. In their summer workshop they work to train astronomers of color in currently white dominated fields while simultaneously addressing social issues surrounding racism and social justice. Effective approaches to a focus on both Astronomy as a field and an emphasis on social issues involve asking questions as simple as, how are planets formed, and where are all the Black people in the field (Sokol, 2016)?The program was started by John Johnson who left a position at Caltech due to the institution's disinterest in diversifying the field.
There are countless unanswered questions in the field of Astronomy, and there are underrepresented groups such as women and minorities, who would be valuable additions in attempting to answer those questions.The institute seeks to help students find a sense of community in the field. In addition to a lack of inclusivity, sexual harassment has also plagued the field further marginalizing students. The governing body for the field, American Astronomical Society (AAS) failed to make a statement in support of Black Lives Matter which appeared disrespectful to its Black astronomers. It has also not as of yet, added a social justice focus to its charge which is something many see as a failing. There have been conversations to address these and other issues of discrimination. Advice from these discussions for white astronomers in the field who wish to ally in creating a more diverse field is to “calm down, it’s been bad for a long time, this isn’t new phenomenon even if it is new to you, [sic] listen to their colleagues of color, and learn about the discipline’s racist history”(McCrea, 2020). Actions to attract and retain more students of color are happening with a goal of diversifying the field.Both the Banneker Institute and a program at Vanderbilt University have taken the charge to do so. Vanderbilt has been identifying promising students in HBCUs and supporting them entering the doctoral program at Vanderbilt.
