Not Recruiting for Diversity
In 2009, African-Americans received just 7 percent of STEM bachelor’s degrees, 4 percent of master’s degrees and just 2 percent of Ph.D.s, according to the National Center for Education and Statistics. With figures like these, it’s almost a responsibility for Blacks who have established careers in STEM fields to recruit for diversity and serve as examples for those coming behind them so that they also can succeed in the technology and science industries. If not, not only will Blacks continue to lag behind in STEM fields, but so will the United States, which is producing fewer engineers than other countries.
“I think it’s our responsibility to make ourselves as Black scientists and engineers available to facilitate exposure where possible. For African-American youth, STEM experiences are beneficial regardless of where one ends up,” said Stephani Paige to ebony.com. Paige is a biochemistry and biophysics Ph.D. student at UNC-Chapel Hill and creator of the Twitter hashtag #BlackandSTEM.