Reader TTS

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe TO THE EDITOR — Equity efforts consistently disregard the perspectives, contributions and accomplishments of Black women. Habitually, Black

women’s accomplishments are marginalized in favour of white and/or male agendas. This societal disregard dates back to the women’s rights movement, includes the civil rights movement and is

present in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) equity interventions. For example, Harriet Tubman is broadly recognized for contributions to the abolition of slavery, but

her contributions to women’s rights, her importance as a feminist and her contributions to anti-racism are under-acknowledged1. Similarly, the vision and activities of Black men dominate

presentations of the civil rights movement while the contributions of Black women are frequently portrayed as symbolic2. To date, STEM diversity initiatives have been successful in promoting

inclusion for white women at the expense of scholars of colour3, and especially Black women3,4. To do the work of justice and equity in ecology and evolution (EE) and beyond, particularly

to ensure women of colour are not ignored, we need to adopt attitudes of feminist scientists and scholars who view the world with a more intersectional lens. Too often, Black women are

forcibly presented with the choice to acknowledge gender or racial identities, diminishing the power and innovation resultant from integration with detriment to inclusivity. If we are to be

successful in decolonizing racial, structural biases in EE, we must combat barriers to the success of Black women and be intentional to include and promote their contributions. However, we

must challenge the _Nature Ecology & Evolution_ editorial conclusion that “admitting students and recruiting junior researchers and faculty is perhaps where the biggest failing of

academic institutions occurs”5. Such a sentiment discounts and ignores the many seasoned and young Black women scholars who possess or are currently pursuing EE degrees or careers.

Retention, not recruitment, is the primary issue. Black women declare STEM majors at the same rate6, but are not retained due to inequities stemming from racialized, social hierarchies that

privilege their white counterparts7. In all that we do, it is critical to remember and re-state that, “when they [Black women] enter, we all enter”8. Making room for the most marginalized

among us makes room for us all. Highlighting the work of women of colour in EE with intersecting underrepresented identities gives greater value to our collective work and increases our

capacity to overcome systemic biases in inclusion and equity. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Access

Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $29.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 digital

issues and online access to articles $119.00 per year only $9.92 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be

subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support

REFERENCES * Ramdani, F. _Eur. J. Am. Stud._ 10, 1–23 (2015). Article  Google Scholar  * Farmer, A. D. _Remaking Black Power_ (The Univ. of North Carolina Press, 2017). * Miriti, M. N.

_BioScience_ 70, 237–242 (2020). Article  Google Scholar  * Corneille, M., Lee, A., Allen, S., Cannady, J. & Guess, A. _Equal. Divers. Incl._ 38, 328–348 (2019). Article  Google Scholar

  * _Nat. Ecol. Evol_. 4, 893–894 (2020). * Riegle-Crumb, C., King, B. & Irizarry, Y. _Educ. Res._ 48, 133–144 (2019). Article  Google Scholar  * Muhs, G., Niemann, Y., González, C.

& Harris, A. (eds) _Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia_ (Univ. Press of Colorado, 2012). * Crenshaw, K. _Univ. Chic. Leg. Forum_ 1989,

139–167 (1989). Google Scholar  * Mountz, A. et al. _ACME_ 14, 1235–1259 (2015). Google Scholar  * Miriti, M. N. _J. Ecol._ 94, 973–979 (2006). Article  Google Scholar  * Benning, T. L.,

LaPointe, D., Atkinson, C. T. & Vitousek, P. _Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA_ 99, 14246–14249 (2002). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Bowser, G., Gretzel, U., Davis, E. & Brown, M.

_Sustainability_ 6, 692–701 (2014). Article  Google Scholar  Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA Maria N. Miriti * University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA Karen Bailey *

School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA Samniqueka J. Halsey * Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, University

of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Nyeema C. Harris Authors * Maria N. Miriti View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Karen Bailey View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Samniqueka J. Halsey View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Nyeema

C. Harris View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Maria N. Miriti. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS

The authors declare no competing interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Miriti, M.N., Bailey, K., Halsey, S.J. _et al._ Hidden

figures in ecology and evolution. _Nat Ecol Evol_ 4, 1282 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1270-y Download citation * Published: 27 July 2020 * Issue Date: October 2020 * DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1270-y SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not

currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative