This article is written by Mackenzie Jorgensen and Gabriele La Malfa, PhD students in the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Safe and Trusted AI (the STAI CDT), about their experience running a lunchtime dialogue series on identity and social justice.
The gender and racial gaps within the Computer Science field are well known – the field remains to be overwhelmingly white and male. The experiences of minorities in the technology space are unique and often touch other aspects of identity too, like class, sexuality, and ability. Opening up about these different experiences can be hard when the spaces around are homogenous and, sometimes, unwelcoming. This is why many minorities form social groups at university and work to provide support and empathy (e.g., King’s College London’s Proudly King’s group for LGBTQ+ people and allies). With that said, we, Mackenzie and Gabriele, two PhD students born 5,333 miles apart (Seattle, USA, to Borgomanero, Italy), found common ground and felt the need to kickstart conversations about identity and privilege within our diverse international group of colleagues. We knew that our colleagues sometimes have strongly held beliefs, and rich perspectives and experiences to share, but – as STEM students – we are not necessarily trained in how to be in dialogue with one another, rather than debate. We note that dialogue “is collaborative: two or more sides work together toward common understanding”, while debate “is oppositional: two sides oppose each other and attempt to prove each other wrong”, United States Institute for Peace.
In light of this, we co-founded a lunchtime dialogue series in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences (NMES) at King’s College London, called NMES Lunchtime Dialogues on Identity and Social Justice. This initiative (supported financially and logistically by NMES and the STAI CDT) gives PhD students and staff the chance to learn how to be in dialogue with one another, to engage with different forms of media relating to race, ability, gender, and sexuality, and to discuss their own personal experiences in a supportive and constructive space. We have already written a blog about a specific dialogue on Women in STEM. Here, we explore the overarching topics and discussions we have had. While we were driven to join the STAI CDT to make an impact with our research contributions, we are just as excited by the impact we are seeing from this initiative – we hope these dialogues will shape how staff and students across NMES interact with one another, and with others, to drive a more inclusive and understanding culture.
White Privilege
We began our first discussion with a crucial topic: white privilege. The paper “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” [1] by Peggy McIntosh opens with the quote, “I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.” This statement encapsulates the core idea we aimed to explore in our dialogues.
Through the participants’ reflections and personal experiences, the intricate relationship between privilege and whiteness became apparent. One notable theme was the dependence of white privilege on geographical context, as privileges manifest differently based on location and the history of that place. Participants shared testimonies from various countries, highlighting how prejudice and racism are experienced in diverse settings, such as schools and workplaces. These accounts illustrated how systems of prejudice differentiate between types of whiteness, correlating to varying levels of privilege. McIntosh’s paper vividly illustrates these disparities through the privileges she describes.
Our dialogue also shed light on positive efforts by society and institutions to promote inclusivity and equal rights for non-white minorities. For instance, one participant shared, “I was convinced to apply for a doctoral position thanks to a statement on the university’s website, which clearly stated that applications from minorities were particularly encouraged.” Such initiatives offer hope for more equitable and inclusive structures.
Ability
In their powerful TEDx talk [2], Stella Young declared, “I’m not your inspiration; thank you very much.” This statement captures the essence of our second dialogue: the notion that disability does not inherently equate to being special or extraordinarily brave, contrary to societal perceptions. Such views can be demeaning and objectifying, reducing individuals with disabilities to mere symbols of inspiration rather than recognising their genuine achievements.
Our participants resonated with this important concept, sparking numerous comments in agreement. Most of us in the room were able-bodied so we had to acknowledge that working with people with different abilities must be the first step to building more inclusive systems and support structures. Participants highlighted the need for more accessible spaces and technologies, as well as increased financial support. Significant challenges must be addressed to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
This dialogue emphasised the importance of moving beyond simplistic and patronising views of disability, advocating instead for tangible changes that acknowledge and support the real accomplishments and needs of individuals with disabilities.
White Supremacy
For our third dialogue, we returned to the topic of race but with a specific focus on whiteness and white supremacy. We acknowledged that in society, especially western societies and ones in the global North, whiteness is typically seen as the default. With that “defaultness,” whiteness comes with a massive amount of power within the structure of race; if we peel back those layers further, the reason for it as the default is because it lies on top of the foundation of white supremacy. A quote from the reading for this session from Blair Imani’s book stood out to us: “Racialization impacts white people by leaving them unnamed as white and unimpacted by the consequences of race and racism” [3]. Even when considering the history we learned at school, there was a vast difference depending on which country people were from. We mostly agreed that the history we were taught was white and European-centered, and for some people, colonialism was not discussed at all – a pillar of white supremacy. Understanding the history behind whiteness and white supremacy as a foundation for western societies is crucial to deconstructing it.
Sexuality
For our fifth and final dialogue of the year, we discussed sexuality. Two bi women led the facilitation. One of the many points they agreed with from Blair Imani’s chapter on sexuality was that there is no one right way to be queer [3]. We even touched on the fact that queer people and non-queer people have different experiences with respect to how important their sexuality is to their identity. Another key point discussed was the importance of queer representation in the media. We also expressed a want and need for better education on not only sexuality and sex education but also on how to have a family and children if a couple is in a queer relationship. We believe that there is still much more progress to be made for the queer community. Lastly, we will finish with a quote from Blair: “Understanding sexual orientation as a binary of straight and gay erases not only bisexuality and other sexual orientations, but also reinforces the incorrect idea that who we are is based on and determined by the act of sex,” which goes back to our initial point that there is no one right way to be queer [3]. Who you are having sex with or not does not determine your sexuality. You have the freedom to define your sexuality how you want and to decide what it means to you.
Takeaways & Next Steps
The aim of the dialogues is to raise awareness and knowledge about different themes related to privilege, and to give people the tools and experience to have constructive conversations about complicated and emotive issues. We connected privilege to identity based on academic studies and theories. The dialogues have clearly shown people’s passion to discuss such topics, which has made us realise that we need more space to talk and discuss them. We found that bringing people from different and distant cultures and countries together can open up impactful dialogues that highlight the nuances of complex topics.
We’re delighted to be expanding this project this academic year to open it up to PhD students from across the whole of King’s. A number of faculties have already supported the initiative and asked their postgraduate students to join in large numbers. Participating students come from numerous diverse departments, such as law, social sciences, arts and humanities, and medicine, among many others. The dialogues began again in November 2024 and will take place in all King’s faculties. We are excited to continue to engage in dialogue, grow, listen, and share experiences this year.
