Starving for Tenure
This week, a qualified Black professor at MIT was denied tenure. This is not an irregular occurrence. In the United States, African American professors - senior Blackademics - fight an up hill battle in academe, which has a long history of racism and patriarchy. It is not unfathomable that James Sherley, a biological engineer in his 9th year at MIT, might be suffering the consequences of teaching while Black. However another factor in his rejection might be his stance on stem-cell research. Sherley openly condemns scientists (including several of his colleagues at MIT) who engage in embryonic stem-cell research on the basis that it is ethically immoral. This is a risky move for Sherley. Tenure-track Professors often tread a thin line, careful not to step on any toes before they are appointed as lifetime professors-especially regarding hot topics like stem-cell research, which has raised hopes of finding cures for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal chord injuries. Taking such a staunch stance against stem-cell research is a risky challenge, though Sherley maintains that his colleagues,
“might tolerate and even celebrate such a challenge from a white faculty member, but never from one who is black.”(read more here.)
MIT claims that Sherley’s case was rigorously reviewed and the decision to deny him tenure was fair; providing signatures from over twenty Biological Engineering department faculty (all white) saying they believed race did not play a role in the decision. No surprises there. But what I did find surprising was his reaction. Sherley has decided to go on a hunger strike unless the Institute decides to reverse their decision to deny him tenure.
“I will either see the provost resign and my hard-earned tenure granted at MIT, or I will die (starve) defiantly right outside his office,” wrote Sherley in a letter distributed to his colleagues.
Now tenure is worth fighting for, perhaps worth quitting for. But worth dying for? what do you think?
Published on February 6, 2007 at 1:17 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under racism, academia.
