by Brooke Thames
While Williams’ work with plants has been marked by adventure, it’s also included moments when she’s been followed and questioned about her presence in public parks — experiences that too often come with the territory of “botanizing while Black,” she says. So in July, Williams spearheaded #BlackBotanistsWeek, a Twitter campaign to uplift Black and Indigenous botanists and open dialogue around prejudice that scientists of color face.
The hashtag quickly gained traction and was used more than 3,000 times by the end of the first day. With an eye toward making #BlackBotanistsWeek an annual digital event, Williams hopes to cultivate a scientific community that, much like plant biomes, benefits from an abundance of difference.
“The more we learn from one another, the stronger our community is going to be, and the stronger our science is going to be,” she says.
While Williams’ work with plants has been marked by adventure, it’s also included moments when she’s been followed and questioned about her presence in public parks — experiences that too often come with the territory of “botanizing while Black,” she says. So in July, Williams spearheaded #BlackBotanistsWeek, a Twitter campaign to uplift Black and Indigenous botanists and open dialogue around prejudice that scientists of color face.
The hashtag quickly gained traction and was used more than 3,000 times by the end of the first day. With an eye toward making #BlackBotanistsWeek an annual digital event, Williams hopes to cultivate a scientific community that, much like plant biomes, benefits from an abundance of difference.
“The more we learn from one another, the stronger our community is going to be, and the stronger our science is going to be,” she says.