Pursuing Higher Degree Research in the Era of ‘Black Lives Matter’: It is Not Business as Usual
If by now any person with access to the Internet or a television set has not become aware of the recent, unsettling attack on black lives in the United States of America, that person has their eyes wide shut. Worse, if such a person, no matter the colour of their skin, is not outraged by the scant regard given to black lives in that society and others around the world, their pulse on humanity has shamelessly flatlined and is in dire need of defibrillation. This semester of my PhD candidature has been one of the most difficult periods in my whole life. It has been plagued by the deaths of several family members, friends, and neighbours. This includes a gun-related close call incident on the life of my black mother, who is stranded in the United States due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Amid all this chaos, I am still required to deliver on my responsibilities as a student, especially since I have been fortunate enough to complete my PhD on a full scholarship. For a parallel qualific...