Physics Colloquium: Apriel Hodari

Physics Colloquium
Wrestling with The Lie: What Do White Men’s Responses to Zina’s Story Commend Us to Do?
Who: Apriel Hodari
Principal Investigator, Eureka Scientific, Inc.

Abstract:
The Lie is defined as the “set of practices that, taken together, constitute” the belief that “in America white lives have always mattered more than the lives of others” (Glaude Jr., 2020). Research has shown that even well-intentioned STEM reformers speak and behave to maintain racial privilege, along with co-created systems of oppression, thereby supporting the lie, and contradicting their stated intentions (Dancy & Hodari, 2022). In this talk, I share forthcoming work on white men physicists’ reactions to a black woman’s racist experience in a physics class (Hodari, In preparation). These data come from an interview study of twenty-seven self-identified white men physicists. Four white men were hired to conduct the interviews, to maximize the respondents’ ability to speak candidly. Participants in this conversation are challenged to consider what the research findings commend them to do.

Speaker Bio:
Apriel K Hodari, PhD, is Principal Investigator with Eureka Scientific, Inc., and represents the United States on International Union of Pure and Applied Physics’ (IUPAP) Working Group 5: Women in Physics (WG5). She is an expert in STEM education research, equity and workforce diversity, and the cultures of STEM disciplines. Her research on the cultures of STEM disciplines, explored through the lived experiences of successful women of color in STEM fields, focuses on how these women overcome barriers and how institutions can create environments in which they can thrive.

Intended Audience:
All are Welcome

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