Letter to the Editor | From Ishmail Abdus-Saboor and Zahra Parker
The purported goal of The Daily Pennsylvanian article “Black Ph.D.s face disparate treatment in the sciences” was to discuss disproportional funding trends facing underrepresented minorities in science. The article attempts to describe our stance, as black members within the Penn community, on the disparities facing URM in science. As two black scientists who are extremely proud of our Penn education, training as biomedical researchers, and continued support from faculty at our institution, we were blindsided and disheartened by the misrepresentation and diminished depiction of our opinions within the published article. Specific data discussed during our interviews about the NIH’s commitment to diversity inclusion were omitted, and what followed were unsubstantiated statements that were often taken out of context. The DP has graciously welcomed our request to clarify our position and statements that we believe were misrepresented.