Black Girl Tragic:

Why Black Girls Don’t Gravitate Towards STEM

I wish more Black girls would participate in any of my technology classes. They avoided my class and would run away from it if they were unfortunate enough to have been placed there by their counselor. Only two Black girls out of the 57 total were in two of my Introduction to Computer Science classes this year. After just the first class, they dropped the course for another elective class.

Recruiting Black girls to participate in after-school STEM programs or to take STEM classes has been difficult for me. I’m a Black STEM teacher with experience and a background similar to many of my Black students. I have been fortunate to be awarded for my efforts as a cybersecurity and computer science teacher. Over the years, I had more girls win the prestigious National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) award than any other teacher in Colorado Springs combined. However, none of the 13 students who have won this award were Black. There were other people of color among the thirteen, with five of them of Asian background, although the Asian population from that school was meager.

I found that if a student was not presented properly with an introduction to computer science at a very early age, it was nearly impossible to capture their interest by the time they reached high school. Many African American high school students turn their attention to more shiny objects, such as the sports and entertainment industries. It is what it is. Athletes and entertainers with glitzy, high-profile lifestyles bombard students’ attention all day through the use of smartphones. The hours they spend with me in the classroom are only a fraction of their time on their phones. Go into any cafeteria (and many classrooms), and almost every student with a phone will be on their phone. None of those students were studying notational systems or the different data types.

Sports and entertainment seem much more desirable than what I and other teachers are selling. The attention and money of the entertainment industry are my most powerful foes. Of course, I am only scratching the surface for a reason, but those mentioned are just the head of the snake. There are other social and economic reasons for the low number of Black women in the technology industry, which is far too intricate and complex to elaborate on here. Still, I only wanted to point out what I am up against.

This has been the story for the last twenty years of my personal experience. For 15 of those years, I have run a CyberPatriot program. CyberPatriot is the world’s largest middle and high school cybersecurity competition. CyberPatriot has done an excellent job planting the seeds of a cybersecurity career for thousands of students across America. Ask any cybersecurity professional under 30 if they have participated in CyberPatriot in their school, and 80% will tell you they were a CyberPatriot.

You will not find many Black females who participated in the CyberPatriot program. This directly correlates to fewer Black women working in technology industries, particularly cybersecurity. I am not saying that the low number of Black women in technology is because they did not participate in CyberPatriot. The lack of interest and participation in technology for Black women is reflective at all levels, from elementary school through college.

Black women make up only 2 to 3 percent of the information technology industry. In the cybersecurity industry, only 9 percent of the workforce is Black, and Black women make up less than 1 percent of that 9 percent, according to a 2022 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Report.

Why is this? Here is the apparent boilerplate reason: Black women in cybersecurity often face intersectional challenges due to both gender and racial disparities, leading to lower participation rates, pay gaps, and fewer opportunities for career advancement. Yes, this is true in many cases. But that can be said of many industries.

Black women are concentrated in industries that have traditionally been more accessible and community-focused, such as healthcare, education, public administration, and retail trade. However, there is a growing push to increase representation in higher-paying, rapidly growing fields like technology, finance, and professional services, especially as more resources and opportunities are directed toward Black women in STEM and leadership positions.

Those industries mentioned above are like comfort food for African American society.

Historically, healthcare has offered more accessible pathways due to vocational training programs and the growing demand for health services. Black women also gravitate toward caregiving professions rooted in community-oriented and nurturing roles. Education has historically been seen as a stable career path, and Black women have a strong tradition of community leadership and mentorship in educational roles. Twenty-eight percent of the healthcare sector are Black women, and fifteen percent of the education industry are Black women.

Since the number of Black women in the IT industry is so low, there is a lack of representation and role models for Black girls to follow. This contributes to the reasoning that this industry is not for Black girls. They cannot envision themselves in such roles. Many schools have limited budgets, and STEM courses are not adequately funded. I have personally seen this in many schools from New York to Alabama. These are primarily schools with large Black populations in the lower rung of the socioeconomic ladder. There are other reasons, such as bias in the classrooms as well as cultural and gender stereotypes. The tech industry is often viewed as a white, male-dominated field.

Several initiatives and solutions can help break down the barriers that prevent Black girls from pursuing IT:

• Early STEM Exposure: Programs like Black Girls Code, Girls Who Code, Cyberjutsu (WSC), Blacks In Cybersecurity, and school-based initiatives, such as CyberPatriot, can introduce Black girls to coding, robotics, and technology at younger ages.
• Mentorship and Role Models: Creating mentorship opportunities where Black women in IT mentor younger Black girls can provide guidance, support, and encouragement.
• Inclusive Education: Schools must work to eliminate bias and ensure equitable access to quality STEM education, especially in underserved communities.
• Diversity in Tech Initiatives: Tech companies must prioritize building inclusive environments and increasing diversity through hiring, retention, and promotion practices.
• Cultural Relevance in Tech: Emphasizing how IT skills can be used to solve real-world problems in communities of color and across industries like healthcare, education, and the arts can make the field more appealing.

These are only a few steps we can take to increase the number of Black women in the IT field. As a person who worked in IT in the military, government, private, education, and non-profit sectors, I know the value of a diverse workforce. That is where creativity and innovation are born. I love to imagine brainstorming with diverse people whose knowledge, perspectives, and experience differ from mine. As a husband, father, and grandfather, I want to see a Black Girl in that room.