The Impact of African American Engineers on Contemporary Life: Remembering Who We Are

22 | BLACK HISTORY BULLETIN Vol. 77, No. 2 77 No.2 THE IMPACT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ENGINEERS ON CONTEMPORARY LIFE: REMEMBERING WHO WE ARE BY KELLY J. CROSS 2QHRIWKHWKLQJVWKDWKDVWREHIDFHGLVWKHSURFHVVRIZDLWLQJWRFKDQJHWKHV\VWHPKRZPXFKZHKDYHJRWWRGRWR¿QGRXWZKR we are, where we have come from and where we are going. - Ella Baker My Personal Experience as an Engineering Student $VDGRFWRUDOFDQGLGDWHLQWKH(QJLQHHULQJ(GXFDWLRQSURJUDPDW9LUJLQLD7HFK,OLNHWRUHÀHFWRQSDVWDQGSUHVHQW African American engineers and how they have impacted my life and contemporary life in America. In order to remember who we are as African Americans, it is important to know where historical African American engineers have come from, and how WKH\KDYHLQÀXHQFHGPRGHUQOLIH:KHQ,ZDVDQXQGHUJUDGXDWHHQJLQHHULQJVWXGHQW,UHPHPEHUVWUXJJOLQJZLWKDKRPHZRUN assignment and seeking out the only Black faculty member in the department. That Black faculty member eventually became my mentor and got me involved with undergraduate research through the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. While participating in the LSAMP program, I was exposed to the research design process along with the opportunity to present my work at multiple conferences. Presenting at multiple conferences increased my networking capacity and ultimately led to becoming a viable candidate for graduate school. The point of this story is that like so many famous Black engineers before me, having the opportunity and access to support was essential to becoming an engineer who happens to be Black. Furthermore, going to graduate school has afforded me WKHRSSRUWXQLW\WREHWWHUXQGHUVWDQGWKH¿HOGRIHQJLQHHULQJDQGP\SODFHLQWKH¿HOG,QVKRUWWKHDFDGHPLFMRXUQH\KDVOHGPH to an elevated level of self-awareness as an engineer who is Black and female. That is to say, the process forced me to remember who I am and what I am capable of when given the chance. Addressing Diversity and Retention in the Field of Engineering 7KH¿HOGRIHQJLQHHULQJKDVPDQ\FKDOOHQJHVDVDGLVFLSOLQHEXWGLYHUVLW\UHPDLQVDFKDOOHQJHDWDOOOHYHOV'LYHUVLW\ DQGWKHSDUWLFLSDWLRQRI$IULFDQ$PHULFDQVLQHQJLQHHULQJDUHW\SLFDOO\HYDOXDWHGE\DIHZVSHFL¿FLQGLFDWRUV²UHFUXLWPHQW retention, and achievement (i.e., graduation percentages). In an attempt to address the diversity problem in engineering, large UHVHDUFKLQWHQVLYHXQLYHUVLWLHVW\SLFDOO\KDYHVSHFL¿FSURJUDPVLQWHQGHGWRUHFUXLWDQGUHWDLQVWXGHQWVIURPXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHG populations in engineering. Engineering Programs for women and people of color, whose mission is to increase the number RIXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHGVWXGHQWVHQUROOLQJDWDXQLYHUVLW\RIIHUVXFKSURJUDPVDQGDUHRIWHQKRXVHGZLWKLQWKHXQLYHUVLW\¶VRI¿FH of diversity and inclusion or part of a diversity strategic plan. Predominantly white institutions’ approach to the recruitment of $IULFDQ$PHULFDQVWXGHQWVLVXVXDOO\VSHFL¿HGE\WKHDI¿UPDWLYHDFWLRQRI¿FHRUSROLF\,QDGGLWLRQWKHSDUWLFLSDWLRQRI$IULFDQ Americans is also measured in retention rates. Unfortunately, the retention of Black engineering students is among the lowest for any student group according to multiple national reports and reports by the American Society of Engineering Education. However, the retention rates only tell half the story; the other indicator that clearly highlights the limited participation of Blacks in engineering is the graduation rate. African Americans have consistently earned only 5% of all undergraduate degrees in engineering over the past several years. That is to say, if 100 students graduate from an engineering program at an accredited university, only 5 of those 100 will be African American. The many complex systems within higher education work cohesively to limit the participation of Blacks in engineering despite the fact that an engineering degree is required to work and be compensated as an engineer in the United States. As a result, educators must enact multiple pedagogical approaches to combat the systemic barriers in higher education that prevent young aspiring Black engineers from graduating with a degree. Several government, industrial, and academic institutions have proposed approaches to increasing the participation of blacks in engineering. However, I will limit the discussion to approaches proposed by academic institutions...