Perhaps now more than ever in my lifetime, it is evident that we have trouble learning from history. When the global pandemic arrived, it appeared to take us all by surprise, despite repeated warnings that something like this was inevitable. Canada had a practice run with SARS, but we did not properly internalize our learning and were caught, along with much of the world, with our public health pants down. Then 2020 brought massive protests against racially-motivated injustices in the United States, Canada, and around the world.
The first of these things threw RCIScience into distance learning mode. As we searched for a way to engage with our audiences online, we happened on the idea of a science-based book club. Reading a book allows you to dive into a subject at your leisure, while the club provides a home for our community. A place to discuss ideas, learn more, hear different perspectives and scratch our science itch. Also, there is hardly an event that goes by at which a member doesn’t recommend a book to me. Book clubs are also very trendy. But unlike almost all fashionable things, I jumped on this because I really like books. So the book club was somewhat self-motivated. Possibly even shelf-ish (I also like puns!).
The second event, anti-Black racism protests, or rather the reasons that they were absolutely necessary, left many of us shocked and saddened. As we tried to figure out how we had failed, yet again, to internalise past learnings, author Angela Saini made an offer to discuss the themes in her book, Superior: The Return of Race Science, with anyone who felt it would help. We thought that exploring racism through the lens of science might, indeed, help. If you attended our conversation with Angela, we hope that you enjoyed it. If you did not, please consider reserving a copy of the book at your local library, or purchasing a copy. It is a compelling read that shows how science and society are never isolated from each other.
Next up, we have decided to explore not-so-much the elephant in the room, as the elephant stomping on the room, by reading Pandemic by Sonia Shah. Please join us and keep the conversation going!
Kirsten Vanstone
Executive Director, RCIScience