We welcome the correspondence from Drs. Hart and Cadet [1] and agree with its premise: “Actions Speak Louder than Words: Increasing Black ACNP Membership”. As expressed in our commentary, the pace of progress is unacceptably slow, particularly regarding Black and Native American membership. This is not for lack of commitment and effort, but with the exception of women and, to a lesser extent, “Hispanic/Latino” persons, diversity has not substantially increased, though there is reason to hope inclusiveness of meetings and the organization have progressed. Our recommendations included expanded efforts to recruit minorities and Black scientists in particular; employing strategies to better understand the effects of such efforts on perceptions of equity and inclusion; and better tracking the diversity of membership, meeting attendees, leadership, and inclusion [2].

The challenge is enormous. As Drs. Hart and Cadet note, “racial discrimination… is a pernicious component of life in the US” and this likely contributes to “the low number of Black members.” Indeed, pervasive discrimination applies to many nonwhite people, reducing opportunities and creating barriers to science careers. Moreover, the “pipeline problem” is no longer an acceptable excuse for lack of progress; other paths must be explored [2, 3].

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