Fair Representation: More Black People Needed In STEM Today
IN December 1 3, a group of white men donned attire as Indigenous Americans to hide their identities, and to avoid being caught in the “No Taxation Without Representation” protest against the British. This is the story we know as the Boston Tea Party.
In May 2020, the world’s largest group of protesters for civil rights reacted to the murder of George Floyd by police, and the rallying cry of “Black Lives Matter” that started in 2013 was solidified as the 21st century’s mantra.
Today, for all those working as “Black in STEM,” the outcries for representation and fairness are historic and familiar. As a Black professional in STEM, no matter your age, it has been a long journey with extraordinary obstacles to overcome to prove your seat at the table.
The National Urban League’s 2022 Equality Index reports that Black people are doing 25 percent as well as white people in terms of education. Black people are less likely to enroll in STEM classes and less likely to graduate from college.
A recent Pew Research Center Report shows Black and Hispanic adults are underrepresented among STEM college graduates compared with their share in the population, and a smaller share earn degrees in a STEM field than in other degree programs.
“Black students earned 9 of the STEM degrees awarded in 2018 across bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, levels unchanged since 2010. Black students earned 5 of master’s and research doctoral degrees in engineering or physical science during the 201 -2018 school year. Black students comprise just 3 to 4 of degree-recipients in mathematics at the master’s level and above,” the study shows.
Not surprisingly, the long-term outlook for diversity in the STEM workforce is closely tied to representation in the STEM educational system, particularly across the nation’s colleges and universities.
Thus, it is concerning that Black and Hispanic adults are less likely to earn degrees in STEM than other degree fields, and they continue to make up a lower share of STEM graduates.
The decline of Black workers in STEM continues to perpetuate even through the demand for STEM careers continues to escalate. The impact of this absence influences the global economy, as this gravely affects workforce development.
Pew reports, “Black workers, who comprise 11 of total employment across all occupations, are 9 of STEM workers. This is unchanged from 2016. Black workers account for just 5 of engineers and architects and of workers in computer occupations. Hispanic workers are highly underrepresented in the STEM workforce
making up only 8 of STEM workers but 1 of total employment across all occupations.”
The future and promise of STEM progress through college. et, many Black college students face microaggressions and experience racial bias as they journey through their science classes. According to a 2020 study, these experiences quickly create an environment where Black students are “assumed to be inferior and are made to feel as if they do not belong.”
The field of science is just that metaphorically, a field; it is the open space for scientific knowledge to grow. This field is where innovation and creativity come to life, and innovation, which has not yet been invented, is born.
Who is allowed to go on that field to create the narrative? The question is, why and when did science default to most often reverting to white as the dominant narrative.
According to a 2020 study with postdocs from underrepresented minority groups over a seven-year period, “This less-than-welcoming environment thrusts you into an emptiness that grates at you, reminding you that microaggressions are often unavoidable if you are Black-inSTEM.”