Nationwide — Freddie Taylor, the founder and CEO of Urban Intellectuals, has launched an online event called “STEAM is the Blackest Thing Ever” to celebrate Black people, history, and culture while inspiring and motivating the youth. The intention is to share tips and techniques with parents, teachers, and community leaders so they can help raise the self-confidence in our children, driving them to do better in school, life, and their chosen professions, including those in the S.T.E.A.M. fields.
Why is STEAM the Blackest Thing Ever?
Because all of these elements come from the global contributions of African people for the benefit of humanity. We aren’t often provided credit for what we have been able to achieve as a people. This 3-day online challenge is a celebration of our history and a reminder to ourselves and young people of these contributions.
“We often talk about inclusion in this country, but the educational system fails to include Black excellence. They merely highlight slavery. We know when we include Black excellence, then it will have a positive impact on Black children,” says Freddie.
Across the country, Black S.T.E.A.M. professionals are lagging far behind other groups tremendously. The disparity is especially severe in engineering. For example, 29 of every 100,000 U.S. residents are chemical engineers compared with 2 of every 100,000 Black residents. Even our best category is drastically behind.
More of the same, 39 of every 100,000 Black residents are electrical engineers compared to 115 of every 100,000 U.S. residents. And each other category of engineers gets works. We are talking about these types of engineers; civil mechanical, aerospace, and industrial engineering.
Source: Science News article via National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)
There are many reasons and ways to combat this. Still, by teaching the next generation about the significant contributions of their ancestors, it will inspire them to continue their studies, not only in these fields but at every level, by showing them it is possible.
“If seeing a Black President or Vice President inspires Black children, what do you think would happen if they learned mathematics was created by Black people some 40,000 years ago with the Lebombo bone? Or the engineering and mathematics of the Great Pyramids of Giza in context of the Black Africans who built it?” says Freddie.
He continues, “If we center Blackness in our S.T.E.A.M. education and history, there is no doubt it will have a tremendous impact on the future of our young people. Starting this understanding as early as three years old will significantly affect 3rd-grade test scores moving forward. We know this period is critical for everything from educational projections to the number of prisons built.”
It is clear; we must save ourselves. One crucial way to do this is to start appropriately teaching our children by centering Blackness in their learning to grow up with solid self-confidence and belief in themselves. A strong understanding of history and culture can do this for our children. All we have to do is begin teaching them the right way, and this free 3-day event is a great start.
For more information, visit https://SankofaClub.com/BlackSTEAM
About Urban Intellectuals
Urban Intellectuals is behind the Black History Flashcards that have sold over 300,000 decks worldwide and is passionate about writing the Black community back into the pages of world history and the hearts and the minds of the community.
Their Raising Proud Black Children movement is the catalyst for this 3-day online event. It is the next in a series of products, services, and events dedicated to educating Black people on their historical contributions to the world and inspiring them to continue to raise the bar.
Urban Intellectuals believe we can change the world by teaching the next generation about the excellence of their ancestors.
For more information, contact info@UrbanIntellectuals.com