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what's on my mind

Where the mind is free and the head is held high ...

BY THERESA DAVIS

Brown v. Board of Education was passed half a century ago. Yet when I walk into a science lecture at UCLA, I am usually the only African American in the audience. Brown abolished segregation in American schools, opening the doors for all to attend virtually any academic institution in the union. However, the dismal number of minority college graduates (9% for blacks and 7% for Latinos vs. 68% for whites) indicates that too few take advantage of this opportunity. Nowhere is this more evident than in science and engineering, where a meager 16% of underrepresented students earned degrees. It is particularly disheartening to see so few represented in fields where there are attractive jobs that minorities covet. What’s the problem?

The reasons why minorities shy away from science range from inadequate K-12 preparation to lack of financial aid and family expectations. The family factor is perhaps the most important and complex because it involves those with the greatest influence operating within a negative social context that was centuries in the making.

Often, minority parents expect their children to graduate as soon as possible and start making money. Science students, by contrast, typically go on to graduate school. One African American earned a Ph.D. without telling his parents — they found this out only when he invited them to his graduation. Although his parents were proud of his accomplishment, they would have reacted differently had their son told them earlier on. And who can blame them when the tradition of giving back to the community emphasizes careers in K-12 teaching, social work, the civil service, politics, medicine and business?

Perhaps the most damaging of all misperceptions is that of intellectual capability and the minority’s place in the world. In the communities of the underrepresented, there is what’s considered “white folks’ work” and work for the rest of us. Unfortunately, the most prestigious and highest-paying jobs are designated for whites (and Asians). The idea that a member of the black community would earn a Ph.D. and spend her time studying the outer reaches of the galaxy is beyond the realm of possibility for some. That’s what smart people do. This is often played out with black and Latino comedians who speak proper English when mimicking Anglos during a standup routine, and then revert back to Ebonics to “keep it real,” thereby perpetuating the fallacy that ignorance is part of the minority experience.

Though not pervasive, these attitudes are sufficient to discourage some of our most talented individuals from pursuing intellectually rigorous and rewarding careers in science. Without mentoring, many of them won’t make it. Positive influences should begin in grade school, with parents and teachers sharing the wonder of science with students, and continue through high school, aided by science career days and summer research programs at local universities.

Brown’s landmark decision is immeasurable in terms of the opportunities for intellectual and personal growth. However, opening the doors to our schools is not enough. Each of us must open our minds to our individual capabilities and then doggedly claim a space in the world.

Davis is senior director of development for basic sciences.