We See the Stars: Young Black Girls’ Creative Imaginings of Intersectional STEM Futures through Art

Abstract

Inspired by Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the first African American woman astronaut, this essay employs an intersectional framework to illuminate how young Black girls, eight to ten years old, created visual artwork that foregrounded their embodied STEM knowledge, creativity, values, and innovation. For these girls, visual art served as sites of refusal where they rejected white male-centric visions of STEM and (re)claimed their rightful science and math futures through the knowledge, confidence, and passion within their BlackGirl bodies. Implications for improving STEM education for and nurturing the intersectional STEM aspirations and futures of young Black girls are discussed.

Keywords:

• Black girls
• STEM education
• visual art
• intersectionality
• STEM aspirations