Chapter 7: Lead In The Water, Blood On The Leaves: A Systematic Overview of Scientific Misuse and Malpractice in African Communities and Social Justice Call to Action

As it is presently constructed for delivery in public schools from kindergarten through graduate school, the standard American school curriculum simply does not present the complete facts of history, literature, art, music, drama, science, or other aspects of America's diverse cultures. In particular, through omissions, distortions, and outright lies, Americans of African descent appear only negligibly in the history of national or global life.

—Barbara Sizemore, 1990 

This chapter surveys the systemic and perceptible omission of African American contributions in science disciplines. Using a sociohistorical lens, this chapter examines various historical movements in empirical sciences that have impacted communities of color. Findings suggest that African Americans have provided imperative contributions in science, both historically and contemporarily. Additionally, African American communities have also been misused and maltreated in pseudoscience research. Although many of these inaccurate studies have since been discredited, it is impossible to dismiss the longitudinal impact of history. Mainstream Western science disciplines have historically benefited from the subjugation, exploitation, and misuse of African American lives. Thus, this chapter investigates the historical role of scientific thought in creating systems of inequity.