2 in 5 Black and Latinx students have said they enjoy STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) courses and aspire to go to college, but less than 3 percent are enrolled in STEM courses. This disparity can be linked to access barriers that lead to locking minority youth out of advancement opportunities, and broaden the already wide racial STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) gap.
Niesha Butler is aiming to change that.
It was reported the former WNBA player opened STEAM Champs, an educational center that focuses on equipping children aged 6-12 with the tools they need to foster interest in STEAM. She is the first Afrolatina to found a center of its kind.
“We need to change the narrative of what we pay for and what we feel like is important for kids,” Butler said in an interview with theGrio. “It’s really important for parents to get behind the ‘nerdy’ kid, to get behind the kid who wants to tinker with things and build things.”
“Technology is the future, and our community the most is going to be hit hardest if we’re not equipping our kids with these necessary skills,” she continued. “I am very confident that all the kids that come to my program, if they choose to have a career in S.T.E.M., they will go pro.”
As The Grio points out, a 2018 Pew research survey found that Black and Latinx employees are grossly underrepresented in the STEM workforce with Black people making u 11% of the U.S. workforce overall but represent just 9% of STEM workers. Butler is keenly aware of this disparity and aims to change it with the center.
“We’re building S.T.E.A.M. champions for the future that we can actually get kids out of generational poverty with one job. Six figures, guys, is what these software engineers, data scientists, statisticians are making.”