A history lesson from Black in Marine Science

Header image by Cesar Couto. This image courtesy of Black in Marine Science.

Black in Marine Science Week began with a hashtag and a Tweet. Inspired by the response to #BlackBirdersWeek, an online event organized after a Black birder was threatened for birding in Central Park, environmental ecologist and diversity advocate Dr. Tiara Moore put out a similar call to initiate crucial conversations on diversity in marine science, and to increase the visibility of Black individuals working to study, understand and protect the oceans.

The first #BlackInMarineScienceWeek (November 29-December 5, 2020) took place through virtual talks, panels and professional development workshops focused on youth empowerment, careers in the ocean sciences and addressing the systemic racism that perpetuates harmful prejudices and barriers to access. Black In Marine Science (BIMS) has since formed a non-profit organization to continue amplifying the stories of Black scientists, educating people of all ages about ocean wonders and major threats, and working to create a culture of ocean, environmental and social justice that welcomes everyone to participate.

“The goal of BIMS is to celebrate Black marine scientists, spread environmental awareness and inspire the next generation of scientific thought leaders,” says Dr. Moore. “I hope to create a future where I can simply be a scientist. I'm inspired and honored to do the work for BIMS, but it wouldn't be necessary if we didn't have a history of systemic racism that prevents Black people from being in marine science in the first place, and causes people to assume I can't swim because I'm Black, and further makes them assume I couldn't possibly be a marine scientist or scientist at all… my mission statement is, you're either riding the wave or getting washed up, because the time for racial and ocean justice is now.”

To create a better, more inclusive and equitable future, we have so much to learn from leaders in the field today, and from a closer look at the narrative history too often forgets. In celebration of Black History Month, Parley teamed up with Dr. Moore and BIMS to share the stories of Black scientists whose contributions have shaped our knowledge of the natural world and the oceans as we understand them today.

1883 — Dr. Ernest Everett Just

Ernest Everett Just was a pioneering Black American biologist, academic and science writer born in 1883 in South Carolina. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth in 1907 and in the same year began teaching at Howard University. Dr. Just conducted research on the fertilization of marine mammal cells at the renowned Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; his primary legacy is the recognition of the fundamental role of the cell surface in the development of organisms.

After completing his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, Dr. Just faced the challenges of continued failures to secure research funds, ongoing racism in the U.S. and limited teaching options in a segregated society. He sought refuge in Europe where he continued his marine research. In 1940, the German Nazis imprisoned Dr. Just in a camp, but with the help of his wife's father, he was released. He passed away shortly after from pancreatic cancer in 1941.

1899 — Dr. Roger Arliner Young

Roger Arliner Young was the first Black woman in the US to hold a doctorate in Zoology - a major feat after years of juggling research, teaching and the responsibility of caring for her sick mother. Born in Clifton Forge, Virginia, 1899, her story is one of grit and perseverance.

Dr. Young attended Howard University, initially majoring in music but eventually studying under Dr. Ernest Everett Just, swiftly becoming a protégé of his. Her first major research project was studying the morphology of Paramecium caudatum, single-celled protists that are naturally found in aquatic habitats. She was also the first Black woman to publish in the prestigious journal, Science, with her paper titled On the Excretory Apparatus in Paramecium. In addition to her contributions to science, Dr. Young was a civil rights activist and labor organizer. She refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1946 and was elected secretary of her NAACP chapter. She did all of this while acting as head of the biology department at Shaw University.⠀⠀

1905 — Dr. Samuel Milton Nabrit

Samuel Milton Nabrit accomplished many firsts! He was the first Morehouse College graduate to earn a Ph.D. and the first Black American scientist appointed to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. He studied the regeneration of the tail fins of injured fish at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and his scientific papers remained influential for many years and are still cited today in journals including Regeneration, Mechanisms of Development, and Developmental Cell.

In an illustrious career, Dr. Nabrit served as president of the National Institute of Science in 1945, became a member of the Marine Biological Laboratory Corporation (he was the second Black American scientist to do so) and was a founding member of the Institute of Medicine. In an effort to assist Black American students pursuing doctoral degrees Dr. Nabrit also founded the Southern Fellowship Fund serving as the executive director until his retirement in 1981.

1925 — Dr. Emmett W. Chappelle⠀

Emmett W. Chappelle’s contributions to science are far-reaching, advancing fields including biomedical science, astrobiology, remote sensing and genetics. In 1994, Chappelle was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal and by the time he retired from NASA in 2001, Dr. Chappelle held 14 patents (mostly relating to fluorescence tests). In 2007 he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his work on fluorescence in organisms. His work in this area is still widely used today in marine science to detect microbiological organisms.

As well as being honored as one of the 100 most distinguished Black American scientists of the 20th Century, he was also a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society of Photobiology, the American Society of Microbiology, and the American Society of Black Chemists.

1933 — Dr. Joan Murrell Owens⠀

Joan Murrell Owens was a coral biologist and teacher born in Florida in 1933. Inspired by books like Jacques Cousteau’s Silent World, as well as fishing trips with her father, Dr. Owens was fascinated by the ocean from a young age. She was the first Black American woman to be awarded a geology Ph.D. in addition to her degrees in fine art, and guidance counseling.

Although Dr. Owens was unable to scuba dive due to sickle-cell anemia traits, she used previously-collected specimens in the Smithsonian Institution to work on the classification system of button corals – mysterious corals known for their button-like form, deep-sea habitat, and solitary lives. Her work shed light on their evolutionary relationships and uncovered new species and a new genus.