As the world counts down the hours on one of the biggest days of this year, voters are left with seconds on the clock to make a decision that will have a lasting impact for households, generations, and industries to come. So when I heard that Democratic presidential candidate, and Former U.S. Vice President, Joe Biden, included plans for STEM and Tech in his platform, I sought to learn more. Known as the Black National Anthem, the phrase Lift Every Voice, has long had a meaning toBlack people in this country. Yet it now has a new meaning as the title of presidential candidate’s plan. The recent unveiling Lift Every Voice: The Biden Plan for Black America has people in the Black STEM community wondering if his plan is really giving African –American the leg up that they sorely need to advance in the STEM field. I spoke with some accomplished Black tech founders and professionals to gain their take on the plan, explore how government, STEM and innovation can truly work together.
Dr. Marilyn Russo – Information Technology, specializing in Data Administration and Management
Well, the STEM component, it is good, but I feel that it could be expanded to include a lot more. Just reading it, the first thing that attracted my eyes was that the plan was making provisions to increase salaries for STEM teachers. And that is great, but I cannot help but think about what about the other teachers? What is that really going to create? That now if you teach a particular subject, then you are eligible to make more than if you teach something else: English or history. And that does not sound very fair to me. So, I am not sure how that is going to be addressed. It seems to be singling out teachers based on the topics that they are specialized in, and that is just not enough. I would much rather see a teacher’s salary being increased across the board.
So that bothers me a little bit, but I like the fact that they are wanting to increase funding for HBCU. There is a need there, because
these institutions cater to a good majority of the African American students. What I would have liked to see is a little more details behind the plan. What exactly is this going to entail? I see provisions being made in the
institutions, universities to help create incubators, and it is great. But prior to that, what exactly is going to be done to close the gap at the elementary school level? The younger children, it starts really at an incredibly young age. How is it that we’re cultivating our children to become comfortable with the technological world that we’re in, to become comfortable with the technological changes that are happening around us so that they can end up in universities and end up in technology programs.
What would have you added to the plan? And why?
I really would like to see a lot more added to help provide access to technology in underserved communities. And the reason why I bring this up is because I have done some work with children from underserved communities, primarily in the city of Miami. And I have seen first hands, what the challenges are. When we’re talking about children that are from single parent households where the mother is an immigrant, who barely speaks English, who’s working minimum wage to make ends meet, who has no education really, may not know how to read and write, and now they have a child that’s attending school. They are not in a position where they can support the child, so who is helping that child succeed? What is being done to help that child who it is no fault of theirs.
Carolyn Pitt -Founder and CEO of Film Connx
What do you think of the STEM components of the plan?
Yeah, absolutely. I think it is a solid framework. I think there is more that we can add. We as black women entrepreneurs and small
business owners face a triple bind of having either very few or no savings to start a business with, having very few or very tiny friends and family round. And then when we approach the venture capital space, that market, we can get 0.0006% of venture dollars every year. And so, there’s clearly inequities in how that money is being distributed. And so there are opportunities, I believe, for the administration to expand upon the black plan like partnerships that could include incentivizing corporations and incentivizing some of these
venture funds to partner with the government to ensure that more dollars make it into the hands of business owners is critical.
What would have you added to the plan? And why?
I think it’s critical to look at how public and private organizations can partner to ensure that more dollars land in the hands of black and brown and female entrepreneurs, because 3% of venture capital goes to each of those combined. So, women and black and brown entrepreneurs get 3% of venture dollars, which means 97% of the dollars are being earmarked and distributed to white men. Obviously, there is some inequities. Obviously the government can take steps to ensure that that market is more inclusive and that more of those dollars land, not just in the hands of organizations that support small businesses and entrepreneurs of color and women, but also make sure that those dollars land directly into those businesses, particularly during the time of COVID when so many of our businesses, up to 41%, are now predicted to have been impacted. And those black businesses are likely to not reopen after COVID.
We’re at a point in time where we need to take very close looks at how capital is distributed and not just capital and access to capital,
but also resources, updated technology and subject matter experts to embolden our businesses as we go forward. And it is not only a good business idea for the businesses, it is a great idea for the country because our innovators are what keeps our economy strong and really are the backbone of the American economy.
Janeya Griffin – Founder of The Commercializer, LLC
What do you think of the STEM components of the plan?
I love the STEM components. I have concerns about how the money will be allocated and the benefits not going directly to Black students.it states it is for HBCUs and MSIs. Well there are a lot of MSIs that have less than 10% of Black students. For example, to have the designation of a Minority serving institution 25% or more need to be enrolled. 25% Hispanic student at Hispanic serving institutions. Ultimately more than 50% of the student body are Hispanic and 11% are Black. So, I wish it were a bit more specific and focused on Black people. Many times, there are benefits that come out and because Black people get lumped in with People of Color, we end up being pushed out. The allocation should be for Black Students
What would have you added to the plan? And why?
I love that they are focusing on building research centers and labs. Because there will begin to be an influx of research and development resulting from these labs there should be a plan and infrastructure for the intellectual property that will be created. Right now, my company, The Commercializer, LLC has a focus to increase technology transfer at HBCUs, which means building out ecosystems that will help them to become sustainable with intellectual property at the core of that. I think that is the missing
component in this plan. The term investment was used regarding the amount of money being allocated. Well HBCUs and MSIs will need to provide a return on investment and there is no way to do that if they don’t have the tools in which to do so, or it’s not made a priority to show its importance by Biden’s administration. I think the other thing missing is educational components for our youth In Fostering STEM programs and intellectual property programs for them as well.
Will a potential new administration finally give us a seat at the STEM table? We shall see. It goes without saying that diverse voices must be a part of plans and actions. STEM has so many layers – AI, data, privacy, cybersecurity, mobile, broadband, just to name a few. Don’t get me started on broadband/Internet. Raise your hand if you’ve sat through one too many IGLives, with a bad connection.
Even before the pandemic, a rise in entrepreneurship, reliance on remote technology and a surge in content consumption, were just a few triggers that increased tech demand. Who will benefit from the opportunity that comes with the increased demand? I would love to hear your thought
