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Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation
2022 PROSE Award Finalist
Drawing on narratives from hundreds of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous individuals, Ebony Omotola McGee examines the experiences of underrepresented racially minoritized students and faculty members who have succeeded in STEM. Based on this extensive research, McGee advocates for structural and institutional changes to address racial discrimination, stereotyping, and hostile environments in an effort to make the field more inclusive.
Black, Brown, Bruised reveals the challenges that underrepresented racially minoritized students confront in order to succeed in these exclusive, usually all-White, academic and professional realms. The book provides searing accounts of racism inscribed on campus, in the lab, and on the job, and portrays learning and work environments as arenas rife with racial stereotyping, conscious and unconscious bias, and micro-aggressions. As a result, many students experience the effects of a racial battle fatigue—physical and mental exhaustion borne of their hostile learning and work environments—leading them to abandon STEM fields entirely.
McGee offers policies and practices that must be implemented to ensure that STEM education and employment become more inclusive including internships, mentoring opportunities, and curricular offerings. Such structural changes are imperative if we are to reverse the negative effects of racialized STEM and unlock the potential of all students to drive technological innovation and power the economy.
Drawing on narratives from hundreds of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous individuals, Ebony Omotola McGee examines the experiences of underrepresented racially minoritized students and faculty members who have succeeded in STEM. Based on this extensive research, McGee advocates for structural and institutional changes to address racial discrimination, stereotyping, and hostile environments in an effort to make the field more inclusive.
Black, Brown, Bruised reveals the challenges that underrepresented racially minoritized students confront in order to succeed in these exclusive, usually all-White, academic and professional realms. The book provides searing accounts of racism inscribed on campus, in the lab, and on the job, and portrays learning and work environments as arenas rife with racial stereotyping, conscious and unconscious bias, and micro-aggressions. As a result, many students experience the effects of a racial battle fatigue—physical and mental exhaustion borne of their hostile learning and work environments—leading them to abandon STEM fields entirely.
McGee offers policies and practices that must be implemented to ensure that STEM education and employment become more inclusive including internships, mentoring opportunities, and curricular offerings. Such structural changes are imperative if we are to reverse the negative effects of racialized STEM and unlock the potential of all students to drive technological innovation and power the economy.
208 pages, Paperback
Published October 20, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 29, 2020
Required reading for STEM educators.
March 23, 2021
As an associate professor of diversity and STEM education at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College, Dr. McGee has spent more than a decade researching racialized experiences and racial stereotypes that adversely affect the education and career trajectories of underrepresented groups of color.
Her book presents a clear portrait of the struggles of under-represented or minoritized scientists, with a focus on Black scientists. She goes on to explain how inequitable power structures are holding back discovery, and presents a beautiful vision for how culturally affirming science could invent the flying car--I’ll leave it to you to read the book to understand that reference.
Dr. McGee writes with a frank, sometimes humorous voice that is distinctly her own, which makes this book a joy to read. I hope it will especially appeal you, given its beautiful weaving of data, ethnographic interviews, and Dr. McGee’s own personal experience.
Dr. McGee thank you so much for sharing your work with us. I hope we can all benefit from reflecting on your vision for a better STEM enterprise and considering our individual roles in bringing about that future.
Her book presents a clear portrait of the struggles of under-represented or minoritized scientists, with a focus on Black scientists. She goes on to explain how inequitable power structures are holding back discovery, and presents a beautiful vision for how culturally affirming science could invent the flying car--I’ll leave it to you to read the book to understand that reference.
Dr. McGee writes with a frank, sometimes humorous voice that is distinctly her own, which makes this book a joy to read. I hope it will especially appeal you, given its beautiful weaving of data, ethnographic interviews, and Dr. McGee’s own personal experience.
Dr. McGee thank you so much for sharing your work with us. I hope we can all benefit from reflecting on your vision for a better STEM enterprise and considering our individual roles in bringing about that future.
June 5, 2023
have recently begun working at a local library & picked this up ! as a recent/almost graduate from a prestigious stem program, this book not only spoke 2 my own experiences as a black student at a pai with majority white instruction, but positions itself as an excellent introduction to further exploration & research into racialized education + white supremacy + eugenics role into not only hampering technological 'innovation', but the experiences/potentials/joys of URM in stem. first and foremost, required reading
July 27, 2021
This was a great book to have a summer book study over. I thought the author did a great job highlighting the struggles of underrepresented minorities in the STEM field. It provided a great basis as educators to have a discussion, although it was a little more difficult to always connect and relate coming from the secondary perspective and classroom.
April 20, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It was well written and easy to read. Sometimes i found myself wanting to hear more about the authors research and her own path in STEM. It's very surface label because it's written for a general audience so I'd rank it highly but not add the best book ive ever read
August 8, 2021
I can't believe I haven't read her research before; it's so relevant to mine and it's brilliant! It wasn't shocking to me, but fact-based with great quotes to convince all kinds of folks this is a problem to be fixed. The problems and solutions in this book applies for any major/program, not just STEM, so I would recommend this for any faculty or staff member who wants to create change in their department. Plus it's relatively short so easy to digest in a manageable timeframe.
September 14, 2021
Amazing book on how we can and should rethink STEM education. Covers both the problem and the solution. Author is a great writer who brings her numerous experiences to this topic. Really enjoyed her thoughts on greater need for mental health providers with racial trauma expertise and how we can learn from the success of HBCUs & tribal colleges to bring and support diverse perspectives in STEM. I want to live in her re-imagined STEM academia!
March 26, 2021
University level focus, but still provides insight as to the shifts necessary in order to support URM students in STEM
June 29, 2021
An essential read for anyone interested in learning about racial inequities in STEM & the education system generally, and examples of programs that support students in holistic and careful ways
December 16, 2021
Interesting, opinionated read.
January 2, 2022
A must read for anyone who teaches or works in STEM and wants to work toward institutional and systemic changes that address racism in the sciences.
October 2, 2025
Essential research and a call to action, but the goal of making STEM education equitable and inclusive seems farther away than ever at the start of the second Trump administration
August 23, 2024
Lots of accurate, interesting information. This was a required reading so it was a little too blunt and statistical for me. educational but dragged a bit.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews