Celebrating Black History in STEM

February is Black History Month—let’s celebrate now (and throughout the year), by learning about some Black leaders, visionaries, and innovators in the STEM fields, as well as some organizations that are working to help historically underrepresented groups achieve their academic and career goals in science!

Click through these images, and then, to learn more about the lives and work of these scientists and visit the websites for the listed organizations, follow the below links.

Please note, this, by no means, is meant to be a comprehensive list of people who have contributed to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, nor is it meant to give a complete collection of information about these people. Think of it instead as a jumping off point to find out more about someone you're already are familiar with or to start learning about someone you haven't heard of before.

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Guion Bluford

Image via NASA

• NASA Bio

• Space.com: Guion Bluford: First African-American in Space

• ThoughtCo.: The Life of Guion "Guy" Bluford: NASA Astronaut

• Youtube: "Guy Bluford: Reaching for the Stars - Conversations from Penn State"

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Kimberly Bryant

Image via Elle.com/Kimberly Bryant

• San Francisco Chronicle: Kimberly Bryant, Black Girls Code founder, opens doors in tech

• Black Girls Code: About our Founder

• Vanderbilt School of Engineering Alumni

• Youtube: "Black Girls Code | Kimberly Bryant | TEDxKC"

• Youtube: "The risks of failure are not equitably distributed | Kimberly Bryant | TEDxSanFrancisco"

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George Washington Carver

Image Via NBCNEWS.Com

• History.com: George Washington Carver

• NPR Codeswitch: George Washington Carver, the Black History Monthiest of Them All

• Smithsonian Magazine: In Search of George Washington Carver's True Legacy

• American Chemical Society: George Washington Carver National Historic Chemical Landmark

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Bessie Coleman

Image via Wikimedia

• PBS American Experience: Bessie Coleman

• Youtube: Smithsonian Channel, "The First Femal African American Pilot"

• BessieColeman.org: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

• Flashlightworthybooks.com: Children's Books about Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman, the First Female African-American Pilot

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Rebecca Lee Crumpler

Image Via PBS.ORG

• Changing the Face of Medicine (U.S. National Library of Medicine): Rebecca Lee Crumpler

• U.S. National Library of Medicine Digital Collection: A Book of Medical Discourses in Two Volumes by Rebecca Crumpler, M.D.

• Bostonia, Boston University Alumni Magazine: Trailblazing BU Alum Gets a Gravestone 125 Years After Her Death

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Christine Darden

Image via NASA

• Youtube: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, "Hidden Figures Mathematician Christine Darden: My Path"

• Youtube: NASA Langley CRGIS, "Christine Darden"

• NASA: Standing on the Shoulders of a Computer

• Book: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

• Book: Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman (click here for our Virtual Storytime video of this book)

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Charles Drew

Image via healthmatters.nyp.org

• National WWII Museum: Medical Innovations: Charles Drew and Blood Banking

• National Museum of African American History and Culture: The Color of Blood

• San Diego Bloodbank: Who Invented Bloodmobiles? Discover the Legacy of Dr. Charles Drew

• Book: One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew by Spencie Love

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Victor J. Glover

Image via NASA

• NASA Bio

• Youtube: NASA, "Astronauts at a Glance: Victor Glover"

• Youtube: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, "Before He Was an Astronaut, Victor Glover Was Stocking Shelves at 7-Eleven - My Path"

• Victor Glover's Twitter Account

• Youtube: Space Snack, "ISS Astronaut Victor Glover answers student questions"

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Mary Jackson

Image via NASA

• NASA Bio

• Book: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

• Book: Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman (click here for our Virtual Storytime video of this book)

• Mary Jackson's technical papers

• Book: Human Computer: Mary Jackson, Engineer by Andi Diehn, illustrated by Katie Mazeika

• Movie: Hidden Figures (2016) (portrayed by Janelle Monáe)

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Mae Jemison

Image via NASA

• PBS Video: "Mae Jemison: I Wanted to Go Into Space"

• Changing the Face of Medicine (U.S. National Library of Medicine): Mae C. Jemison

• NASA Bio

• Space Center Houston: Astronaut Friday: Mae Jemison

• Mae Jemison's Twitter Account

• Book: Finding Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life by Mae Jemison

• Book: Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington (click here for an online read-aloud of this book)

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Katherine Johnson

Image Via NASA

• NASA: Who Was Katherine Johnson? Grades K-4 Bio, Grades 5-8 Bio

• NASA: Katherine Johson: The Girl Who Loved to Count

• Youtube: National Geographic, "NASA Trailblazer: Katherine Johnson | National Geographic"

• Nature: Katherine Johnson (1918-2020)

• Book: Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson (click here for an excerpt from Katherine Johnson's book)

• Book: A Computer Called Katherine by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison (click here for a video from author Suzanne Slade talking about her book)

• Book: Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk

• Book: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

• Book: Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman (click here for our Virtual Storytime video of this book)

• Movie: Hidden Figures (2016) (portrayed by Taraji P. Henson)

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Lonnie Johnson

Image via Atlanta Tribune

• LonnieJohnson.com (Johnson's website which features his biography, a timeline of his life events, a list of his patents, and news stories about him)

• FIRST: Lonnie Johnson

• Podcast: CNN's Great Big Story: The Accidental Invention of the Super Soaker

• Book: Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate (click here for Chris Barton's website with more information about his book, Lonnie Johnson, and a discussion and activity guide)

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Jerry Lawson

Image via NYTimes.com

• HowStuffWorks: Jerry Lawson Forever Changed the Video Game Industry

• Capitol Technology University Gerald "Jerry" Lawson: Inventor of the First Home Gaming Console with Interchangeable Cartridge

• Youtube: Microsoft Developers, "Gaming for Everyone"

• Netflix, limit series: High Score (2020); Jerry Lawson featured in Episode 1: Boom & Bust (subscription required to view)

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Ronald McNair

Image via NASA

• NASA Bio

• NPR Story Corps: "Astronaut's Brother Recalls A Man Who Dreamed Big" (article and audio), "Eyes on the Stars" (animated video)

• UC Berkeley: McNair Scholars Program, About Ronald E. McNair

• Book: Ron's Big Mission by Rose Blue, illustrated by Don Tate (click here for an online read-aloud of this book)

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Charles Henry Turner

Image via CPNAS.org

• Oklahoma State University, Department of Psychology: The Charles Henry Turner Webpage

• The National Academy of Sciences: African American History Program: Charels Henry Turner

• Turner's Doctorate Dissertation: "The Homing of Ants: An Experimental Study of Ant Behavior"

• Phys.org: Highlighting the Accomplishments of Charles H. Turner—A Black Pioneer in Animal Intelligence Studies

• Book: Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner by Janice N Harrington, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

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Gladys West

Image via the Free Lance-star

• A Mighty Girl: Dr. Gladys West: The "Hidden Figure" Who Pioneered GPS Technology

• Air Force Space Command: Mathematician Inducted into Space and Missiles Pioneer Hall of Fame

• Youtube: U.S. Navy, "Navy Hidden Hero: Gladys Mae West and GPS"

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Organizations

• Black Girls Code

• Blacks in Technology

• National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering

• National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers

• National Society of Black Engineers

• National Society of Black Physicists

• Society of STEM Women of Color