The Black Excellence in STEM Oral History Project, launched by Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science, is designed to celebrate and preserve the stories of Black scientists.
A commitment to action
In response to the many social conflicts, riots, and challenges of recent years, Patty Raun and Carrie Kroehler from Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science wanted to help preserve a moment in history by listening to voices that have often been marginalized in STEM. They envisioned that this project to document the oral histories of those who overcame challenges will inspire and encourage future researchers.
"The first class in Communicating Science that I taught in 2012 was in the same semester that Black American Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Florida,” said Raun. “Many of my students were deeply impacted by that event. I learned a lot about their experience as Black researchers and graduate students.”
In the subsequent eight years, there were more tragedies. “These reminded us of the danger of having black skin in this country,” said Raun. “In the years that followed, the loss of so many lives and so much potential seemed overwhelming, so we wanted to focus on a project that allowed us to look beyond the grief."
From Black graduate students in their Communicating Science course and again from Black researchers during a Science on Tap event on Celebrating Black Scientists, Raun and Kroehler heard stories about particular challenges Black researchers faced in gathering data, doing fieldwork, and working in primarily white academic departments.
“We wanted more people to know about those challenges and to become aware of the variety of experiences that people have in carrying out their research,” said Kroehler. “But all of us involved in the project also wanted the oral history collection to focus on successes and joys."
Capturing unheard narratives
After being trained in oral history techniques and receiving guidance from Ren Harman of the Center for Oral History and Jessica Taylor, history associate professor, a team of six Center for Communicating Science graduate students interviewed Black scientists from various institutions. The team’s goal was to create a permanent record illuminating the challenges, joys, and successes of scientific discovery as a Black scientist.
"Oral histories provide a first-hand narrative to a person’s life and the time and place in which they lived," said Harman. "Often in written or recorded history, many voices and stories are left out. Oral history attempts to do the opposite by allowing everyone to speak to their experience and tell their story.”
The team was Amber Wendler, Mika Pagani, Kregg Quarles, Korin Jones, and Daniel Smith. Emily Griffith, who earned a master's degree in history, managed the project.
The interviews uncovered narratives that explore themes such as the value of historically Black colleges and universities, experiences of being the first in a field, the importance of mentorship, nontraditional paths to STEM careers, and stories of excellence.
“The sheer breadth of research areas helped showcase that, although Black scientists may be a minority, we operate in a majority of fields, contributing to our understanding of the world through a myriad of avenues,” said Jones. “A byproduct of collecting stories from these researchers has also been the establishment of a more connected network of Black scholars, which because of the highly collaborative nature of science, can be beneficial in establishing professional relationships across and within fields. My hope for this project is that these stories will inspire future scientists to pursue careers in research and also give insight to broad audiences the ways in which Black scholars contribute to research as a whole.”
“Interviewing fellow Black scientists for the Black Excellence in STEM Oral History Narrator project was both a deeply personal and profoundly meaningful experience in my academic career,” said Pagani. “In a media landscape often saturated with narratives documenting Black trauma, I saw this project as an opportunity to shift the focus and celebrate the joy and accomplishments of Black academics. Each interview highlighted resilience, innovation, and the invaluable contributions of Black professionals in STEM. I hope these narratives serve as both inspiration and a testament to the necessity of inclusion. By preserving these stories, we not only honor achievements but also provide future generations with role models — something I could have used more of growing up as a young, Black student passionate about science. I am thankful for Virginia Tech University Libraries for providing this opportunity to share our stories; and for my invaluable mentor and the Center for Communicating Science for trusting me to tell them."
The graduate student interviewers are already brainstorming additional ways to share these stories, including a print collection of narratives, short animations, a children's book, and podcast episodes. Currently housing 17 interviews, with hopes for more, the collection aims to do more than preserve history.
"This project is important to me because the point of science, of technological and scientific advances, should be to make the world a better place for all of us — but it’s not doing that,” said Kroehler. “We need all of us to be involved in science, with our rich and various perspectives, our different ways of thinking and working and understanding, to reach that goal. We’re far from it now; science is mired with inequities. I hope the details and stories shared by the narrators in this project will resonate with a wide audience and expand our understanding of what science is and who scientists are.”
The collection is housed on the Special Collections and University Archives website.
Words that inspire
Scientist Candice Duncan, assistant professor for environmental science and technology at the University of Maryland, who was interviewed for the project, dreams of a better future and hopes these oral histories make a difference in the lives of future Black scientists.
"Because, just like all the literature has been saying since the early 2000s, excluding people of color from science conversations means you're excluding the innovators,” she said in her interview. “You're excluding perspectives. You're excluding experiences ... How can you get on the international map, and you're excluding whole groups of people? That just doesn't make sense to me.
“What I'd like someone 20 or 30 years from now to get is that any individual who has broken some sort of barriers or surpassed what was expected of them did not do it unscathed,” said Duncan. “It takes a lot of mental fortitude to push back and push past naysayers or people who don't think you're capable of doing something. But you have to remember, if it's in your heart and in your spirit that it's what you're supposed to be doing, go for it and drown the noise. Because the greats never took the easy path."
