The Wretched of the Earth? Interrogating Eurocentrism and Reimagining the STEM Futures of Black Learners

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

For decades data has focused on the underrepresentation of Black populations from STEM careers across the U.S., intending to develop interventions to “bridge” these respective “gaps.” However, Critical Scholars have interrogated the narrative that Black learners require remediation and instead challenge the environments that serve as co-conspirators towards barriers to their matriculation and retention in STEM education – namely hegemony and erasure. Drawing on historical perspectives, focus groups, and interview data, researchers problematize the historical erasure of Black discovery in STEM and seek to (re)-humanize Black scholars and learners by sharing their stories. Across four papers, researchers amplify the voices, experiences, and accomplishments of Black STEM professionals and learners otherwise left out of current and historical conversations.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Focus on Black Education

Chair

• Erik Hines, George Mason University

Papers

• And Still, the Marathon Continues: The Impact of STEM Spaces on Black Men’s Mental Health - Latoya Haynes-Thoby, University of Connecticut; Takeshia Pierre, Tufts University

• Eradicating Erasure: Interrogating Anti-Blackness in STEM Education History and Amplifying Stories of Black Discovery - Takeshia Pierre, Tufts University; Theila Smith, University of Groningen

• Amplifying Black Student Voices to Inform [STEM] Education Curriculum - Rose Pringle, University of Florida; Takeshia Pierre, Tufts University

• The Dreamkeepers: Black Men STEM Faculty (Re-)Envisioning STEM Futures for Black Boys - Takeshia Pierre, Tufts University; Latoya Haynes-Thoby, University of Connecticut

Discussant

• Bhaskar Upadhyay, University of Minnesota