I know this’ll probably make me sound crazy, but what the hell. Yesterday I began striking as a graduate researcher at Stanford Chemistry. 1/n

I started my strike for a lot of reasons. But most of all, it’s because I’m exhausted.

I’m exhausted of watching attacks on Black lives and blocking them out of my mind so I can perform research. I’m through practicing how to internalize racism.

I’m exhausted of constantly facing microagressions from people I looked up to and no one having the time or energy to call them out on it.

I’m exhausted of watching my colleagues mistake days off and empty symbolic gestures for substantive change.

I’m exhausted of working for a department that thinks we should be forced to go through Stanford’s weekly COVID testing but doesn’t think we’re entitled to Stanford’s healthcare (like most other members of the campus community).

I’m exhausted of doing my department’s job for them. Many departments at Stanford held town halls on anti-Black racism MONTHS ago (as was recommended by the President of the University), but in Chemistry the Black students are having to organize a town hall themselves.

I’m exhausted of meeting with people who are more interested in being able to say they got my input than they are in actually following my input.

I choose to make the only decision that it appears a graduate student has, and that is to withhold the intellect that they seem to claim ownership over.

I don’t know what happens next, when/how this’ll end, or how much this will affect my scientific career. What I do know is that I can’t let this continue for years more without ever doing something. If not me, then who? If not now, then when?