I am a cis-gendered African American woman scientist. Yes, you heard right - I am a Black Female Scientist! BOOM!
For many years, my identity was wrapped up in my professional career. As my career progressed, I saw injustices and inequalities in the workplace. I found myself thinking, am I the only one who sees this and how can I effectively change the situation. My immediate response was to use art in some way. Art is an agent for change, it can be a palatable vehicle that reflects the world around us. It can expose our blemishes and give voice to the voiceless.
Think of how Alex Haley’s novel Roots from 1976 is still quoted and is embedded in our cultural DNA. I wanted to challenge the ideas of masculinity and femininity in order to challenge the perception of POWER. The feminist movement has been evolving for more than one hundred years as a result the perception of what it is to be femine and masculine is constantly changing in the home and in the workplace.
As part of my leap, I decided to channel all of my frustrations and use my voice in a new and different way for me - I wrote my first screenplay! This piece was an effort for me to explore those concepts, not to bring clarity but to promote empathy, empowerment, and energy to the conversation about what it means to be a powerful woman in the workplace.
Latasha Wright, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, received her Ph.D. from NYU Langone Medical Center in cell and molecular biology. She continued her scientific training at Johns Hopkins University and Weill Cornell Medical Center. She has co-authored numerous publications, presented her work at international and national conferences.BioBus enables Latasha to share her love of science with a new generation of scientists. Latasha spearheaded the creation of the first BioBase community lab, the BioBus internship program, and our Harlem expansion. Everyday that Latasha spends teaching students about science in this transformative environment helps her rememberthat science is fun. She loves sharing the journey of discovery with students of all ages.