Both K-12 schools and STEM disciplines are embedded in White supremacy and exclusion, making it that much harder for Black women to maintain an interest and sense of belonging in STEM. Through a Critical Race Feminism methodology, we tell the counterstories of our two co-authors, two Black women, over the course of their lives. Through these…

Why are some fields and occupations more diverse than others? In this review, we describe a conceptual framework--the field-specific ability beliefs (FAB) model--that provides a promising answer to this question. This model proposes that gender and racial/ethnic imbalances in a field or occupation result in part from the confluence of two beliefs:…

How individuals come to perceive themselves in STEM is predicated on their understanding of what it means to be a member of the STEM community. This association is consequential when considering the perpetuation of white male ownership of STEM knowledge and power that forces learners identifying with groups systemically marginalized by racial and…

Acting as a bridge between the academic and policymaking communities, "Young, Gifted and Missing" sets the stage for addressing critical issues around why African American men are absent in the STEM disciplines. The authors track the experiences of African American male students in STEM at every level of the educational system in order…

This singular holistic case study examined the experience of a Black pregnant mother pursuing doctoral studies in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field at a predominantly white flagship institution in the southern United States. We employed the tenets of critical race feminism in this study to demonstrate the ways in which…

This study investigates the influence of K-12 STEM education on the retention rates of Black women pursuing STEM majors in higher education institutions in Texas. The problem addressed in this study is the unknown influence of K-12 STEM education on Black women majoring in STEM in Texas higher education institutions. This research aims to describe…

Black women undergraduates are represented in low numbers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Research studies have lacked data outlining the compounding effects of the intersectional, gendered, and racialized experiences they often face in their programs of study. Participation in kinship networks may be a critical…

This study examined the racialized enclosure that African American/Black women in technology and engineering experience as they navigate to executive leadership. This qualitative narrative inquiry research explored, through lived experiences, the racialized enclosures inhibiting African American/Black women from excelling to executive leadership…

Black women in graduate school can experience stress due to blatant and subtle acts of gendered racism. However, we do not know how such stressors are navigated over time among those who successfully complete their PhDs. The current study used a Black feminist thought framework and narrative analysis to conduct a longitudinal exploration of how…

Few undergraduate courses in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors provide meaningful focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) or addressing biases in science. Embracing DEIJ during this stage is essential for equipping students to participate constructively in solutions to these longstanding challenges,…

Women of color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) face multiple barriers to success (Ong et al., 2011). Students have different experiences mediated by race or gender, and when these two identities intersect, they face unique challenges. The purpose of this critical quantitative study was to examine department climate and its…

There is a mountain of evidence demonstrating that students with marginalized, i.e. purposefully socially excluded, identities experience significantly worse academic and social outcomes in STEM disciplines. However, there has been less attention on how white women, who experience sexism due to their gender but are privileged due to their race,…

This article explores and wrestles with the various discourses that arise when considering why it is important to advise students from an assets-based and holistic approach into science-related majors and careers. Our hope is to inform how and why it is important to advise students into science-related careers, specifically, and Science,…

While a strong literature base exists around undergraduate experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), few studies examine how students approach the question of "what's next" after graduation. This study examines the impact of social ties on STEM college seniors' plans to enter the STEM workforce, and how…

Background: Scholarship demonstrates that Black girls' capacities to imagine possible futures in computing are constrained by narratives of white masculinity and misogynoir embedded within computing. Building on race critical code studies and identity-as-narrative theories, we examine "restorying" through Black womanist storytelling…