Centering Blackness: Implementing Space That Fosters Racial Justice and Radical Self-Care in STEM

• In Event: For Us, by Us: The Power of Black STEM Counter-Spaces to Foster Holistic Well-Being and Learning

Abstract

While Summer 2020 and the continued display of anti-Black racism shifted national conversations on the intersections of racism, STEM, and Black students’ engagement, there is little understanding of the potential impact of this shift. Heightened awareness of structural anti-Black racism given the COVID-19 pandemic prompted increased dialogue and increased demands for transformative action. To meet the rising demands for both racial justice and radical self-care by Black people, particularly those between the ages of 18-25 (e.g., college students or emerging adults), future STEM learning spaces that wish to attract and retain Black people must transform its fundamental culture. And while there are a variety of models that exist to support STEM cultural transformation, there is little awareness of what these models look like when implemented during a period in which remote work and virtual learning dictate the degree to which people gather, build community and solidarity, and engage in action.

Purpose: This paper explores the design and implementation of a virtual network dedicated to transforming the culture of undergraduate biology education to effectively meet the needs, desires, and goals of Black students. In discussing its design and implementation, we examine how the space functions as a counter-space for Black students and professionals, offering the resources and community necessary to support their holistic well-being and positively influence their motivation and engagement.

Methodology: This study employs critical race methodology (CRM; Solórzano & Yosso, 2002) to ascertain the experiences of Black undergraduate students and professionals in the REC Network. We utilize Community Cultural Wealth (CCW; Yosso, 2005) to analyze survey, interview and artifact data generated from network events, naming how and why the REC Network functions as a holistic counter-space for Black people in or connected to STEM.

Findings: Findings indicate that key components of the REC Network that supported Black students’ and professionals’ holistic well-being included its “unapologetically Black” cultural vibe, its focus on “believing in the beauty and brilliance” of Black people while striving to transform the external context, and the structure of the environment that allowed for people to leverage their individual and cultural knowledge and experiences to contribute to the knowledge generation process. 93% of the network members found the REC Network to be a space where they could both bring and draw on their individual knowledge and experience to effectively contribute to the re-envisioning process. To corroborate this idea, one student shared, “As an undergraduate scholar I often feel excluded [in conversations about] our needs, all members in my group as well as the main stage were very supportive. I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and cannot wait to begin doing the work.”

Scholarly Significance: Through CRM and CCW, we note what social-cultural contextual factors of a STEM learning environment can positively inform Black students’ and professionals’ well-being, motivation, and engagement, as well as how they do so. In providing this information, we identify components that can comprise future STEM learning environments, particularly in virtual spaces, that intentionally account for racial justice and radical self-care among Black people.

Author

• Terrell Roderick Morton, University of Missouri - Columbia