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As ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ approached its 100th anniversary in the late 1990s, Marian Johnson-Thompson, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Biology and Environmental Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., collected decades worth of the Society’s history. From celebrating microbiologists who were among the first ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ members from historically underrepresented groups, to noting the first instance of leadership taking a public stand against segregation, her writings recorded milestone years for the organization. These accounts were printed in multiple ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ publications and are housed today in the .

Like Johnson-Thompson, Mary Sánchez Lanier, Ph.D., Assistant Vice Provost at Washington State University (WSU) and Professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences, believes in learning from the past and has been highly involved in furthering ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts for more than 2 decades. “Sometimes history can teach about what not to repeat, as well as what things are worth repeating,” Sánchez Lanier said. Her DEI work focuses on supporting students and faculty from historically underrepresented groups. She also represents ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ on the steering committee for the (ABRCMS). “We stand on the shoulders of many people, and it's good to acknowledge that, as well as celebrate our past successes.”

As the Society looks toward celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2024, shared findings from the oral and written records are helping to identify gaps, progress and successes in past and current DEI efforts, while honoring individuals who have fought (and continue to fight) social injustice and racial disparities to address systemic inequities in the microbial sciences and around the globe.

Exploring ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s Archives

Much of Johnson-Thompson's research focused on the early history of Black microbiologists. Her research starts in the 1930s, . Between 1932 and 1948, 12 Black microbiologists received Ph.D.s in microbiology, and only 2 Black members joined the Society.  

A major turning point for the organization occurred in 1956, as described in the 1997 publication, “Ethnic Diversity in ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥: the Early History of African-American Microbiologists,” co-authored by Johnson-Thompson and the late James M. Jay, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Biological Science at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.

That year, ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s annual meeting was held in Houston, Texas, where city accommodations, like hotel rooms, were racially segregated. When 2 Black attendees, Thomas E. Shockley and Charles W. Johnson, both of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, stepped into a passenger elevator, the operator said they would have to take the freight elevator instead. Robert P. Williams, a white attendee, who served as , interceded and told the operator that he, Shockley and Johnson would ride together. This event was one of the earliest recorded instances of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ leadership speaking out against segregation, and 1956 was the last time a major ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ meeting was held in a city whose accommodations were not open to Black members. “This turning point—though it sounds short—was a very long-lasting turning point,” Johnson-Thompson said.

Reflecting on ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s DEI Leaders

It took 32 more years before individuals from historically underrepresented communities held top elected leadership roles at ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥. , became the first ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ president from a historically underrepresented background and in 1988. Huang joined the Society in 1967 and was awarded ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s Eli Lilly Award in Immunology and ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ in 1977. In 2001, she received the Alice C. Evans Award, recognizing outstanding contributions toward the full participation and advancement of women in the microbial sciences.

In 2007, , became the first Black president of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥. Prior to that, under his leadership, the ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Education Board was awarded the for its commitment to graduate education in 2000.

As of 2022, Houston and Huang are among a small group of presidents from historically underrepresented backgrounds in ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s history.

This reflection is important and serves as a reminder that structural barriers can deter individuals from acquiring leadership opportunities. To address this, ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ recently updated volunteer leadership appointment and nomination processes as part of a pilot program to ensure inclusive, thorough searches for candidates, with the goal of identifying the best candidates and expanding inclusion and representation from historically underrepresented scientists in the microbial sciences.

DEI Efforts Across ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥

Throughout ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s history, countless individuals collaborated on committees and initiatives that were pivotal to the Society’s DEI efforts. For example, the creation of the Committee for Minority Education in the Education Department in 1993, the establishment of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s Minority Task Force in 1995, the creation of ABRCMS in 2001 and transformation of numerous DEI-focused committees over the years have helped to extend the reach of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s DEI efforts.

More recently, the Society sought to examine and strengthen DEI efforts through an extensive review of its practices and programming. ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ created the DEI Task Force in 2018 and presented the findings to the ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Board of Directors in 2020. This report made specific recommendations for fostering an inclusive culture at ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥.

Looking Forward

Looking back at the past helps us identify where we, as individuals and as an organization, are headed. We will continue to share accounts from our written and oral historic record—through in-depth interviews, resurfaced articles and documents from ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s archives. We invite you to join us in celebrating the individuals who strive to make the microbial sciences more inclusive and identifying the work that still needs to be done.

As Johnson-Thompson summarized, “You have to keep pushing it. You can't relax, because if you do, institutional memory is lost and so are [DEI] efforts.”

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This article series resurfaces archived historical information published in 1997 and 2007. Please note that some of the archived documents referenced in this article use language and terminology that is not in line with DEI best practices today.

Do you have a piece of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥’s history that you’d like to share? We want to speak with you!