The journal club consists of 5 modules that cover topics like the social construction of race, the rise of eugenics, the (mis)use of race in medicine, and more. Each module comes with assigned readings, a slideshow and a facilitation guide. There are also supplementary modules that focus on actions we can take as scientists.
The series was created by the Social Issues in Biology (SIIB) journal club, including by current and former SysBio members Tal Scully and Caleb Weinreb. The series was further developed with support from the Harvard Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, The Department of Neurobiology at HMS, and The Department of Genetics at HMS.

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Project Short

This organization provides free mentorship and application help to students applying to medical or graduate school. A great resource for undergraduates, post-bacs, and research technicians planning to apply to medical/graduate school. Current medical/graduate students are encouraged to volunteer as mentors.

Científico Latíno

This organization provides a number of resources to aspiring scientists, including databases for fellowships, summer undergraduate research programs, post-baccalaureate programs; advice for applying to graduate school; and a graduate school mentorship program. A great resource for undergraduates, post-bacs, and research technicians planning to apply to graduate school.

Black Survival and Wellness Resources (Academics for Black Survival and Wellness)

This website provides video recordings from a workshop series offered to Black academics in 2020. Workshop titles include: An Ode to the Ancestors; Existence and Resistance; Self-Care for Survival; Black-Owned Healing; Black Love, Advisors, and Expanding Connections (BAE); My Price Just Went Up; and Silence Will Not Save You. Information for free healing sessions offered through Kindred Medicine is also provided.

Community Spaces for Affinity Groups (Harvard Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging)
Provides a calendar and registration information for upcoming events for Harvard affinity groups. Open to members of the Harvard community.

Avoiding Racial Bias in Letter of Reference Writing (University of California, Merced)

A one-page sheet with tips to avoid racial bias in letters of recommendation. Modified from the similar resource on Avoiding Gender Bias in Letter of Reference Writing from the University of Arizona.

Equitable Practices for Writing, Reading, and Soliciting Letters of Recommendation (Equity in Graduate Education, USC)

This brief guide provides evidence-based strategies related to the equitable use of letters of recommendation in higher education.

More research-based guides can be found on the Equity in Graduate Education website.

Davidson Microaggressions Project

This website provides an introduction to microaggressions and includes a number of examples of microaggressions experienced by students and faculty in higher education.

“I’m a Black Female Scientist. On My First Day of Work, a Colleague Threatened to Call the Cops on Me.”

An article depicting Raven Baxter’s experiences of being a Black, woman scientist. Baxter is a molecular biologist and science communicator who is currently working towards a PhD in Education.

“For Black Scientists, the Sorrow is Also Personal”

An essay by medical doctor and neuroscientist Dr. Kafui Dzirasa about his experiences as an African American scientist in academia.

“Not all Scars are Visible: A Classmate’s Tale of Police Brutality”

An essay written by an anonymous Neuroscience PhD student at University of California, San Francisco about their previous mistreatment by police and the criminal justice system.

SHARE Counselors

SHARE Counselors are here to support individuals in processing experiences of interpersonal harm, including sexual assault, harassment, interpersonal partner violence, and stalking. Our staff also provides community engagement, educational initiatives, and preventative programming that strengthens individuals and our community in service of decreasing harm. (CONFIDENTIAL with few exceptions)

Office for Gender Equity

The Office for Gender Equity works to advance Harvard’s commitment to providing an environment where each of us feels safe to participate fully in University life—whether studying, teaching, conducting research, or working to support our individual and collective goals.

HMS Ombuds Office

The Ombuds Office supports an ethical and civil culture, encouraging mutual understanding and resolution through respectful dialogue and fair processes.

Anonymous Reporting Hotline

The Anonymous Reporting Hotline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is run by an independent, third-party provider. There are two ways to report: toll-free by calling 877- 694-2275 or you can submit a report online.

Speak Up: Responding to Everyday Bigotry (Southern Poverty Law Center)

This website provides a number of practical strategies for allies to call out and stand against bigotry in everyday situations. The content is conveniently organized into 36 sections, by situation (e.g., What can I do at work? What can I do about my own bias?)


Anti-racism and Allyship Journey (Stanford Graduate School of Business)

This resource provides a workbook for individuals to embark on a 7-day self-educational journey in anti-racism and allyship. The seven topics are: taking the pledge and thinking about race, unconscious or implicit bias, conversations across race, defining and applying anti-racism, identifying intersectionality, embracing allyship authentically, and creating an action plan.


Race, Research and Policy Portal (Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center)

This resource portal provides summaries of curated research articles and other publications related to racism, racial equality, and anti-racism. Users can search the portal by topic; this specific link takes visitors to search results related to allyship and microaggressions.

Anti-Racism and Allyship Resources (Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)

This document compiles Harvard and crowdsourced resources on anti-racism and allyship, organized into a number of categories such as recommended books, Harvard resources, helpful links about racism, and ways to take action.


Anti-Racism Training (Academics for Black Survival and Wellness)

This website provides video discussions related to the anti-racism training for non-Black academics that were offered in 2020. Topics discussed include: foundations for black survival and wellness, understanding anti-Black racism history and systems, appropriately applying intersectionality, white terrorism and black resistance, whiteness in academia, practicing Black allyship, and committing to Black liberation. The site also includes a list of recommended consultants to host trainings on these topics at individual institutions.


Guide for Discussing Racial Violence

This brief guide provides guidance and resources for educators on how to discuss racial violence with students. More research-based guides can be found on the Equity in Graduate Education website.


Talking About Race Web Portal (National Museum of African American History & Culture)

This web portal provides educational resources to help educators, parents, or persons committed to equity, talk about race. Content is organized into seven topics: bias, community building, historical foundations of race, race and racial identity, self-care, social identities and systems of oppression, and whiteness.


Diversity, Equity, Access, Inclusion and Belonging Foundational Concepts and Affirming Language (Harvard DIB)

Here you’ll find an excellent, downloadable glossary of key terms related to DEI work that can be used to ground one’s understanding and to facilitate important conversations. Essential reading for members of the community.