Today, during National Engineering Week, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) introduced a resolution announcing February 23rd as National African American Women Engineers Day. In 2017, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) released a study detailing the roadblocks faced by African American women in engineering disciplines. The study explains that by the year 2020, there will be 600,000 unfilled engineering jobs in the United States; however, African American women will be ill-equipped to take these positions as they represent only 25 percent of African American engineering school graduates. This finding has great implications on our economy because African American women represent the vast majority of bachelor degree recipients and in 8 of 10 black families, are either the sole breadwinners or contribute more than 40 percent of the family’s income. Engineering has proven to be a lucrative field, as most entry-level engineers make a median wage north of $60,000. This legislation also recognizes the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in graduating nearly half of all African American engineers.
“The statistics prove: African American women are consistently being left behind within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This is a harsh reality that we can no longer afford,” said Congresswoman Adams. “STEM careers are the jobs of the future and, as we continue to develop technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, it’s imperative that minorities have a seat at the decision making table.
“As we celebrate Engineering Week and Black History Month, I’m proud to join my colleagues in honoring African American women engineers as role models for future generations of young women. In Congress, we must prioritize collaboration with industry and education leaders to ensure that African American women have equal opportunities and preparation to compete in STEM careers.”
###
The resolution was co-sponsored by Reps. Ro Khanna, Tim Ryan, Gregory Meeks, Nanette Barragan, Gwen Moore, John Lewis, G.K. Butterfield, Seth Moulton, Hank Johnson, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Debbie Dingell, Bill Foster, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Al Green, Anthony Brown, Ted Lieu, Donald Payne, Sheila Jackson Lee, Al Lawson, Daniel Lipinski, Steve Cohen, Donald McEachin, Alcee Hastings, David Price, Barbara Lee, Frank Pallone, and Zoe Lofgren.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Friday, February 23rd 2018 at 2:48PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
