Guest post: Patricia J. Brown, @msEdtechie, is a Technology Specialist for Ladue School District: If I were to ask you to close your eyes, and visualize a scientist, what would you see? Most would probably describe someone that looks like Albert Einstein, or Isaac Newton. I could then ask you to Google images of “famous scientists”, and similar images would appear in the search results. You would have to scroll down down the page to see a woman, and even further down to see a person of color. When I watched the movie “Hidden Figures”, a true story of the Black women who worked for NASA as mathematicians, I felt empowered because for me, this shed a new light in history, and gave a powerful message of the importance of highlighting and celebrating diverse voices and perspectives. It also erased the negative stereotype that black women did not excel in math & science. All across the country young people were viewing the movie and seeing themselves. The movie brought an excitement and huge buzz around STEM. Science and Engineering sectors have made some strides in diversifying the workforce, but overall, people of color and women specifically, are still underrepresented in STEM and Engineering fields. Today, I challenge you to be intentional in engaging underrepresented groups in STEM in your schools and communities, then build platforms and opportunities to spotlight their accomplishments, and amplify their voices. Don’t know where to start? Check out organizations like Black Girls Code, Girls Who Code, or GirlStart. With our collective efforts, more students will be exposed to the possibilities through STEM.
