In a glaring testament to how deeply the tendrils of woke ideology have infiltrated our academic institutions, a Columbia University professor has landed a substantial $125,441 grant to delve into the alleged links between “structural racism” and “Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias.” Professor Paris Adkins-Jackson, armed with funds from the National Institute on Aging, is embarking on a dubious quest to correlate historical and contemporary policing events with memory diseases in later life.
Adkins-Jackson, who identifies as a “health equity researcher,” posits that these “adverse community-level policing” events significantly contribute to dementia—a claim that not only stretches the bounds of credibility but outright snaps them. This research is yet another example of how the concept of structural racism—a theory severely lacking in scientific grounding and often used as a catch-all explanation for various societal disparities—is being shoehorned into scientific inquiry, diverting funds from more critical and potentially fruitful scientific endeavors.
When questioned about her research methodology and how she plans to control for other influential variables such as healthcare access, Adkins-Jackson has remained conspicuously silent. This lack of transparency raises significant concerns about the objectivity and scientific rigor of her study, suggesting a predetermined agenda rather than a pursuit of verifiable scientific truth.
The professor’s work is draped in a narrative that paints minorities as perpetual victims of insidious structural forces. Critics, such as Ian Kingsbury from the medical reform group Do No Harm, have rightly challenged Adkins-Jackson’s foundational assumptions. Kingsbury points out that her hypothesis is based on a flawed understanding of societal dynamics, unsupported by empirical data like those from Harvard economist Roland Fryer, which found no racial bias in police shootings.
This case exemplifies a broader, alarming trend in health research where ideological narratives supplant rigorous, evidence-based investigation. The use of the structural racism myth as a universal scapegoat diverts valuable resources from research that could genuinely benefit public health. As we advance, it’s crucial that we demand a return to rigorous, unbiased scientific inquiry—research that seeks real solutions rather than validating woke ideological biases. Such a shift is essential not just for the integrity of science, but for the betterment of society as a whole.
