The Role of Belonging in Achieving Equity in STEMM

By Nikole Collins-Puri  

Women of color are among the most underrepresented population in the STEMM ecosystem, making up only 11.6 percent of the science and engineering workforce. Women, especially women of color, face outsized barriers within the STEMM ecosystem that start early and persist throughout the education and career pipeline.  

For too long, efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEMM have focused on representation – fitting marginalized groups into a broken system – rather than belonging. A focus on belonging means identifying and eliminating the systemic barriers that make it so hard for certain populations to succeed in STEMM.  

Techbridge Girls recently launched our advocacy program, Solving STEM’s Inequity Problem: The Belonging Blueprint, because a sense of belonging for our most marginalized groups is integral to achieving equity in across the field.  

Building belonging starts with early introductions to STEMM in K-12 environments, whether through formal education or community settings such as after-school and summer programs. Environments that foster a sense of belonging are affirmative, adaptive, and supportive, with an eye toward leveling the playing field for girls of color. It requires educators who are:  

• Good listeners; 

• Supportive of girls through the ups and downs of their STEMM education journeys; 

• Implementing culturally relevant curricula; 

• Providing programs that are accessible, affordable and within girls’ own communities. 

We’re partnering with the STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA) because this movement is different than previous efforts in that it centers fundamental, systemic change. Many students, and especially girls of color, are swimming upstream in STEMM education and career pipelines. While past efforts have valiantly tried to help students navigate these waters, it’s time to focus on changing the flow of the stream so everyone has equitable access and opportunity to contribute to and advance within the STEMM ecosystem.  

SOA is also committed to the core premise that equity is essential to scientific excellence. At Techbridge Girls, we believe STEMM is good for girls and girls are good for STEMM. We all deserve a future where STEMM solutions are better, more equitable, and serve everyone. We can’t achieve this without Black, Indigenous, and Latina girls bringing their inherent genius, creativity, innovation, and diverse perspectives to the solutions that affect everyone.  

Last week, Techbridge Girls attended SOA’s convening in Los Angeles, which focused on achieving equity and excellence in tech. It was great to be in a community where we were not making a case for STEMM equity but making a mandate for STEMM equity. Our collective strengths can achieve this mandate if we collaborate, coordinate and champion this common call for change. The SOA-led conversation focused on how we achieve systemic change, versus why we need change at all, which was a breath of fresh air. I look forward to continuing the conversation, but more importantly, to moving sustainable efforts to reimagine the STEMM ecosystem for Black, Indigenous, and Latina girls and gender-expansive youth. 

​​​Nikole Collins-Puri is CEO of Techbridge Girls, a national nonprofit organization reengineering STEM education for Black, Indigenous, Latina girls and gender-expansive who experience economic insecurity.