5 Inspirational Quotes to Celebrate Black History Month
Throughout history, people of color are vastly underrepresented in STEAM fields—a gap that needs to be filled so our workforce reflects the perspectives, insights, and talents of our entire population. Despite underrepresentation, black innovators have paved the way with discoveries and inventions that define our current STEAM education.
In honor of Black History Month, we want to highlight some of the trailblazers who deserve to be routinely recognized for their experiences, struggles, and achievements.
Here are some of our favorite quotes from black STEAM innovators:
1) “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” - Dr. Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison certainly didn’t limit herself as she became the first African American woman in space. In a society that told her a black woman would never go to space, she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and orbited Earth for 8 days in 1992 (Lormond, 2021).
2) “Education is the key to unlock the golden door to freedom.” - George Washington Carver.
Though he was born a slave, George Washington Carver was the first black student at Iowa State Agricultural College in 1891. He became a brilliant botanist who helped to develop crops and farming methods that stabilized the livelihoods of many former slaves. He brought his lessons to farmers through mobile classrooms, always believing that education is the key to unlocking success (Black Innovators, 2020).
3) “A lot of kids growing up today aren't told that you can be whatever you want to be. There may be obstacles, but there are no limits.” - Mark Dean
Mark Dean plowed down obstacles and became a computer scientist and engineer who developed landmark technologies for IBM in the 1980s, including the color PC monitor and the first gigahertz chip. The sky was his limit when, even after his success at IBM, he went on to get his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford (Tech, 2020).
4) “You can absolutely be what you can’t see! That’s what innovators and disruptors do.” - Kimberly Bryant
Kimberly Bryant noticed the underrepresentation in STEAM as one of the very few black female electrical engineers in Silicon Valley. She disrupted the norm and created Black Girls Code in 2011, a nonprofit that empowers girls from underrepresented communities by introducing them to programming (Harding, 2016).
5) “Do not let others define who you are. Define yourself. Do not be limited by what others expect of you, but reach confidently for the stars.” - Shirley Ann Jackson
Shirley Ann Jackson reached for the stars as she became the first of many things. She was the first woman to receive a doctorate from MIT in any field, the first woman and African American to serve as Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the first woman and African American president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Tech, 2020).
For all of our aspiring engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and more at Mercy Works – these words are important to hear. While there are far too many important black voices in STEAM to list in one post, these figures have left a mark in their fields with their game-changing innovations. Black innovators continue to make a significant difference every day, blazing the trail for our young leaders to walk among them.
References:
Black Innovators in STEM Who Changed the World. Orlando Science Center. (2020, July 22). Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.osc.org/black-innovators-in-stem-who-changed-the-world/
Harding, X. (2016, August 30). Coding diversity into Silicon Valley. Popular Science. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.popsci.com/black-girls-code-kimberly-bryant-coding-diversity-into-silicon-valley/
Lormond, A. (2021, February 19). Ten inspirational quotes to uplift and inspire us into action this Black History Month. VolunteerMatch Blog. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://blogs.volunteermatch.org/ten-inspirational-quotes-to-uplift-and-inspire-us-into-action-this-black-history-month?hs_amp=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8aOeBhCWARIsANRFrQGh3jiDg5mqzIEqRXKBDeVCr66NE9C3nLxTudVluBraZioGO6NQXMAaAqYWEALw_wcB
Tech, iD. (2020, February 3). 16 black STEM innovators who have defined our modern world. iD
Tech. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.idtech.com/blog/black-stem-innovators-who-defined-modern-world