STEM FOR BLACK STUDENTS

11/24/2020

Assignment 5: Love U 1st
Many Times, we young ladies forget that before we can love anyone else, we have to first know how to love ourselves. All of the assignments completed up to this point have prepared us for this moment. To begin, I want you ...

That is just an excerpt from "S.T.E.M 4 Girls - The Urban Girl's Guide to the S.T.E.M. Disciplines" by Jessica A. A. Highsmith. What a great way to entice middle school girls to pursue fields that could assist in solving science problems like COVID19 and those of the future. I highly recommend the books pictured here for that special young person in your life who may need a little nudge in this direction. The future depends on engaging our best and brightest.

Did you know Henry Ford and Thomas Edison offered George Washington Carver jobs over $100,000 per year to join their staff in the late 1800's and he turned them down to build a legacy at Tuskegee Institute with Booker T. Washington? Read all about it in "Black Pioneers of Science and Invention" by Louis Haber. This is an easy to follow collection of biographies of our greatest minds including Benjamin Banneker, Louis Latimer, Garrett Morgan and many others. Unfortunately, this title is at least temporarily out of print.

Finally,
Dr. Nicki Washington offers wise council for young Black Women in "Unapologetically Dope - Lessons for Black Women and Girls on surviving and Thriving in the Tech Field". One chapter is, "Play Chess While Everyone Else is Playing Checkers." First order of business is identifying the "Power Players and Gatekeepers." A very practical read that will be used for years into adult life.

S.T.E.M has been near and dear to me ever since graduating with a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. The examples of African American scientists and inventors wasn't as well known as it has become since the movie, "Hidden Figures" came out. The book was just as delightful and inspirational as the movie. It was a proud moment to hear of all the young people that went to the movie and got more curious about careers they hadn't considered before. There is so much to be learned from our innovative and creative ancestors. It is something to behold and be proud of.