Black History Month

Throughout the month, we’ll be featuring scientists and science communicators from different periods of time.

Last Updated on February 29, 2020

Black liberation flag

Image Description: Horizontal lines of crimson red, black, and forest green comprise the Black liberation flag.

Introduction

Happy Black History Month! We want to acknowledge the important impact and contributions Black people have made to science throughout history. Throughout the month, we’ll be featuring scientists from different periods of time, leading up to scientists and science communicators today.

These Black scientists are recognised as such under a Western, colonialist framework of science that we’re taught is built on ancient Greek and Roman knowledge and pioneered by White European men. But just as Indigenous music, literature, political and economic systems exist in every society, so does scientific knowledge. Although Black scientists might seem like a radical step in Western countries, Black people have been doing science for as long as early societies have existed.

Science would not be what it is today without the countless discoveries and innovations originating from Sub-Saharan Africa. Many groups, such as the Dogon people of Mali, charted the movement of the sun, moon and constellations, and developed their own mathematical systems. In several cases, medicine was more advanced than those in Europe at the time; medical practices such as anesthesia, autopsies, and assuring antiseptic conditions were common. Frequently used medicinal plants had properties, such as salicylic acid for pain and kaolin for diarrhea, still applied to drugs today. The Mali and Songhai built boats that could carry up to 80 tons and allowed them to share knowledge through trade routes connecting them to the Asian and South American continent. Unfortunately, other knowledges such as the advanced agricultural practices were also exported through the slave trade to exploit and colonise the American continent.

Check back in throughout the month and follow #SciCommCollxBHM on social media to hear about Black researchers who have made important contributions to our scientific knowledge!

Feb 04
by Vi-An
Image Description: SciComm Collective logo over the Black liberation flag (horizontal red, black, and green stripes).

Benjamin Banneker

18th century astronomer, mathematician, almanac-writer, and anti-slavery advocate

Benjamin Banneker, on top of being a scientist, was also a writer, a farmer, an astronomer, and an urban planner. He was born in 1731, in Baltimore county, to a mixed mother (his maternal grandmother was an English dairy maid who married her former slave) and a freed slave. He lived in a majoritarily White town, and while he did attend school for a few years, was largely self-educated. At 22 years old, Banneker noticed a neighbour’s pocket watch, took it apart and wrote himself notes, then built an entirely wooden clock based only on his drawings and calculations. He befriended his neighbour George Ellicott, who lended him books on advanced mathematics and astronomy. Diligently observing the sky, he compiled an ephemeris, a listing of the positions and movements of celestial objects at given times during a year, that was published as the Benjamin Banneker Almanac. He was also a passionate anti-slavery adovcate, and sent a letter in 1791 to Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State at the time, to ask for better conditions for Black Americans. His clock continued to run for about 40 years, but was destroyed shortly after his death in a fire likely set by arsonists. Though his home and most of his possessions were lost, his last remaining journal and a few household objects are now on exhibit at Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museumin Oella, Maryland.

Feb 07
by Vi-An / image courtesy of Benjamin Banneker Watches and Clocks
Image Description: A bust of Benjamin Banneker superimposed on the figure of a clock.

Edward Alexander Bouchet

18th century physicist; first African-American to receive PhD from any American university

Edward Alexander Bouchet was a physicist and educator. He is best known for becoming the first African American to earn a doctorate degree in the United States at a time when the United States was still a very segregated society. 

Bouchet was born in 1852 in New Haven, Connecticut. In the 1850s and 1860s, New Haven had only three schools that black children could attend. Edward Alexander Bouchet was enrolled in one of them, a one-room school with 30 seats taught by one teacher (who played a crucial role in nurturing Bouchet’s academic abilities). Bouchet eventually went on to attend Hopkins Grammar school, a preparatory school for Yale College (now Yale University). He graduated first in his class at Hopkins and as the class’ Valedictorian.

Bouchet broke the ‘colour line’ by entering Yale College in 1870. His academic accomplishments while there were many. He was the first African American to be elected into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest academic honour society in America and one of the most prestigious. In 1874, he became the first African American to earn a degree at Yale College, and two years later, the first African American to earn a PhD from an American university. Unlike his peers, however, he was unable to find work at any university or research facility because of the colour of his skin.

Instead, Bouchet, who was also one of the only six Americans to hold a PhD in physics at the time, went to Philadelphia to teach at the School for Coloured Youth. Bouchet taught physics and chemistry for 26 years. Although his full impact on black education will never be known, that he had an impact is undeniable.

Feb 11
by Michelle / image courtesy of Yale University Manuscripts & Archives
Image Description: Portrait photograph of young Edward Alexander Bouchet at Yale, circa 1874.

Wangari Maathai

20th century biologist, social activist; first African woman to win the Nobel Prize

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental and peace activist, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a trailblazer in the field of environmental justice. After growing up in rural Kenya, she obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the United States before completing her PhD in Anatomy at the University of Nairobi in 1971. She was the first East or Central African woman to obtain a PhD. This accomplishment was crowned by her appointment as the first female associate professor of veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobi in 1976 and 1977.

During her professorship and beyond, Dr. Maathai sat on the National Council of Women of Kenya, becoming their Chairwoman after five years of service. During her first year with the organization, she proposed tree-planting as a solution to alleviate local women’s food insecurity while conserving the environment (nutritious food sources were very reliant on the burning of wood, and trees would also help rivers to retain water). This emphasis on the link between environmental and social sustainability guided her efforts throughout her career. In 1977, she expanded this project to found the Green Belt Movement (GBM). To this day, GBM empowers communities through conservation initiatives like tree-planting.

Dr. Maathai served on the boards of countless organizations, such as the Congo Basin Forest Fund and the Kenya Red Cross. She was a Member of Kenyan Parliament, a fellow at such prestigious universities as Dartmouth and Yale, and has received honorary doctorates in Japan, Norway, Kenya and the United States. In 2004, she was the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and was later named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, in 2009. Her accomplishments are countless; we invite you to find out more here. 

Dr. Maathai’s body of work highlights the importance of Black and Indigenous voices in our fight to reduce the impact of climate change. Historically wronged and marginalized communities are the first to suffer the impacts of global warming, and their knowledge cannot be dismissed as we work towards solutions. In the words of Dr. Maathi, spoken during her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, “We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own – indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder.”

Feb 14
by Danielle / image courtesy of Marco Longari, Getty Images
Image Description: Powerful portrait of Dr. Wangari Maathai speaking.

Mae C. Jemison

20th century astronaut; first Black woman in space

Mae C. Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama and grew up in Chicago. Fascinated by science from a young age, she enrolled at Stanford University at the age of 16, where she obtained her Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering and African/African-American studies in 1977. She then obtained her medical degree from Cornell in 1981. During her medical career, she served as a general practitioner, a Peace Corps officer in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and at the Centers for Disease Control.

In 1985, she applied to NASA’s astronaut program, but her acceptance was delayed due to the tragic destruction of the space shuttle Challenger the following year. In 1987, she was selected from a pool of 2000 applicants as one of 15 members of Astronaut Group 12, making her the first Black woman astronaut. Dr. Jemison became the first Black woman in space in 1992, aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, as part of mission STS-47. During her time as science mission specialist, she ran multiple experiments, investigating the production of water for sterile injections, the creation of saline solutions, and the effects of space travel on bone cells.

Following her time with NASA, Dr. Jemison went on to found the Jemison Group, which provides socially-conscious technology consulting and inspires youth to pursue science through its “The Earth We Share” summer camp. Dr. Jemison is also leading DARPA’s 100 Year Starship, which aims to make space travel beyond our solar system not only possible, but accessible to all.

by Danielle / image courtesy of NASA
Image Description: Astronaut Mae Jemison suits up for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour. She smiles widely at the camera through her open helmet while a suit technician tugs on harnesses to check the suit’s pressure system.

Danielle N. Lee

21st century outreach scientist who studies animal behaviour and behavioural ecology

Danielle N. Lee is currently an assistant professor of Biology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Her research focuses on how ecology, evolution, and genetics contribute to animal behaviour, specifically in the African giant pouched rat. As part of her research, she observes rats in Tanzania to evaluate and optimise a landmine-sniffing training program.

Dr. Lee is perhaps most widely known for her implication in science communication and science outreach, especially towards more diverse and under-privileged audiences. She started the blog The Urban Scientist, published through Scientific American, in 2011, after observing that inner-city Black youth do not have the same opportunities to engage with science as other non-Black youth do. In this blog and throughout all of her outreach work, Lee aims to bridge this divide between the scientific community and under-served, racialised communities. Another such example is her co-founding of the (now defunct) National Science & Technology News Service, in 2013, a STEM news group focused on increasing science news coverage within African-American communities. Most recently, she presented the TED talk “How hip-hop helps us understand science”, linking findings about extra-pair copulating behaviour with the hip-hop hit “O.P.P”.

Throughout her years as an activist and a scholar, Dr. Lee’s efforts to increase science’s accessibility have been recognised by several titles and awards. In 2009, she was named a Diversity Scholar by the American Institute of Biological Sciences. She was among EBONY magazine’s Power 100 of 2014. In 2015, she was a TED fellow, and was named a White House Champion of Change for STEM Access & Diversity.

These days, Dr. Lee continues to study the African giant pouched rat and can be found vocally advocating for diversity in sciences on Twitter (@DNLee5) in particular. 

Feb 21
by Vi-An / image courtesy of TED Talks
Image Description: Photo taken from Danielle N. Lee’s TED talk. She is smiling wide, with her arms raised expressively, seemingly mid-speech.

Nia Imara

21st century American astrophysicist & artist

As a painter and an astrophysicist, Nia Imara is one of few who have managed to bridge the divide between science and art. She completed her PhD in astrophysics at University of California, Berkeley, becoming the first African-American woman to do so. She is now based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellow, where she investigates the formation of stars and the properties of galactic dust.

Dr. Imara was drawn to painting and astronomy by their shared relationship with light: “Astronomers are masters of light [...] And as a painter, and in my everyday life, I’m always thinking about light” (Lyceum, 2019). Her main medium is oil-based paintings, but she also enjoys exploring quilt-making and photography. Her art almost always features Black subjects, which she explains is because “I love them, and I want them to see that they are as beautiful as I (see them). I want them to know they are loved and worthy.” (San Francisco Bay View, 2009).

A vocal advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusivity in STEM fields, Dr. Imara founded the Equity and Inclusion Journal Club at Harvard University in 2018. Its objectives, as named on their website, are to: (1) open a dialogue about the dearth of diversity in science; (2) to help participants understand the challenges experienced by the underrepresented student; (3) to seek solutions to make the scientific community more equitable. It seems that including more individuals such as herself in the scientific community is a good place to start.

Feb 25
by Vi-An / image courtesy of Bert Johnson
Image Description: Nia Imara standing outdoors in a white dress with her hair tied back and a look of cool confidence.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

21st century queer, agender cosmologist, science writer, and equality activist

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein carries many descriptors: she is Californian, of Barbadian and Jewish descent, queer, agender, a cosmologist, science communicator, and social activist. But even these many qualifiers simplify her many accomplishments. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein first obtained a BA in Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysics from Harvard University, and eventually went on to complete her PhD in Physics at University of Waterloo. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy at University of New Hampshire, where she is studying the intersection between particle physics, cosmology, and astrophysics, and investigating what makes up dark matter. She is also part of the core faculty of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. and combines this with her experience as a researcher to question the social implications of physics research from a feminist perspective.

Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is a firm advocate for intersectionality within science and for highlighting underrepresented groups who contribute to science. She is one of the founding members of the American Astronomical Society Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy (SGMA), and a current member of the National Society of Hispanic Physicists and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in the Sciences (SACNAS). Her activism also extends to online platform, especially on Twitter @IBJIYONGI, where her tweets will often go viral.

Her efforts have been honoured by several awards. In 2013, she won the MIT "Infinite Kilometer Award”. In 2017, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein won the LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award "For Years of Dedicated Effort in Changing Physics Culture to be More Inclusive and Understanding Toward All Marginalised Peoples". In 2018, she was recognised by Essence Magazine as one of 15 Black Women Who are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.

You can look forward to her upcoming book, The Disordered: From Dark Matter to Black Lives Matter. Expected to be released in Spring 2021, it will cover her own experience as a Black femme scientist, as well as the existing racism and sexism ingrained in physics research.

Thanks for following our features of Black scientists throughout history! And while today marks the last day of Black History Month, Black history certainly continues to exist and evolve through Black lives, and through the visible and invisible contributions of Black people to our society. It’s important to continue recognising these contributions as well as to provide platforms for more Black voices to be heard, in science and otherwise. You can seek them out yourself, or follow hashtags such as #BlackInSTEM, #BlackScientistsMatter, or #BLACKandSTEM. 

Feb 29
by Vi-An / image courtesy of Tech Crunch
Image Description: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein sits dignified, hands in her lap in a lecture hall.