Facing a Double Pandemic: Viewpoints of African American Engineering Students during COVID-19 and Racial Unrest in the United States

Racheida S Lewis; Trina L. Fletcher; Animesh Paul

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: COVID-19, Next Generation of STEM Professionals, and Racialized Organizations
Tagged Division: Minorities in Engineering Division(MIND)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43686
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43686
Download Count: 330

Paper Authors

biography

Racheida S Lewis University of Georgia orcid.org/0000-0002-1934-3199

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Dr. Racheida S. Lewis, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia in the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. Lewis believes in creating a diverse engineering field and strives to do so through connecting with teaching, and mentoring future engineers. She has devoted her life to this mission through her leadership and lifetime membership in the National Society of Black Engineers. Ultimately, Dr. Lewis aspires to bridge together research and pedagogy within the academy to improve engineering education within the field and across disciplines.

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biography

Trina L. Fletcher Florida International University orcid.org/0000-0002-1765-5957

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Dr. Fletcher is currently an Assistant Professor at Florida International University. Her research focus equity and inclusion within STEM education, STEM at HBCUs and K-12 STEM education. Prior to FIU, Dr. Fletcher served as the Director of Pre-college Pr

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biography

Animesh Paul University of Georgia

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Animesh was born in Tripura, India, and raised in a liberal modern “brown” military upbringing. He prefers the pronouns “He/They” and considers himself a creative, sanguine, and outgoing individual. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Technology focusing on Electronics and Electrical Engineering from KIIT University. He is now a part of the Engineering Education Transformation Institute as a Ph.D. student under the advisement of Dr. Racheida Lewis. His research is in Engineering Education, focusing on equity, inclusion in the classroom, and easing student transition to the workforce catering to STEM graduates.

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Abstract

The 2020 global pandemic caused by COVID-19 highlighted a number of inequities in the United States including, but not limited to, the digital divide for remote learning and instruction, healthcare, livable wages, etc. It also highlighted an issue that Black Americans have had to deal with since being brought to this country for enslavement – racism. The death of George Floyd in May 2020 compelled many corporate executives, institutional leaders, and the like to issue statements in support of “Black Lives Matter” and standing in solidarity with the Black community. However, many Black Americans feel that these statements are made half-heartedly – statements stay statements and never evolve into meaningful action. In fact, Black/African American students are actively dealing with racism on campuses as recently as September 2021 where an anonymous racist letter was emailed to the student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) (and subsequently almost all of the Black/African American students) at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.

In June 2020, a mixed methods research study was conducted on how underrepresented engineering students were impacted by COVID-19. The study included 500 participants, with roughly 50% of those participants identified as Black/African American. Participants were asked to respond to the prompt “Imagine you are chatting with a friend or family member about the evolving COVID-19 crisis. Tell them about something you have experienced recently as an engineering student.” Participants’ responses included a variety of topics related to coping with the pandemic and adjusting to virtual instruction, but some participants shared stories regarding racism, social injustices and unrest, and how it impacted their personal lives, mental health, and educational pursuits. This paper seeks to address the following research question: What were the experiences of Black engineering students at the beginning of the dual pandemic? Recognizing that some participants chose to address social issues in response to the initial prompt is an indicator that there is much needed discussion to be had about the experiences of Black engineering students with anti-Black racism while in pursuit of their engineering degree programs.

Citation
Format

Lewis, R. S., & Fletcher, T. L., & Paul, A. (2023, June), Facing a Double Pandemic: Viewpoints of African American Engineering Students during COVID-19 and Racial Unrest in the United States Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43686

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The 2020 global pandemic caused by COVID-19 highlighted a number of inequities in the United States including, but not limited to, the digital divide for remote learning and instruction, healthcare, livable wages, etc. It also highlighted an issue that Black Americans have had to deal with since being brought to this country for enslavement – racism. The death of George Floyd in May 2020 compelled many corporate executives, institutional leaders, and the like to issue statements in support of “Black Lives Matter” and standing in solidarity with the Black community. However, many Black Americans feel that these statements are made half-heartedly – statements stay statements and never evolve into meaningful action. In fact, Black/African American students are actively dealing with racism on campuses as recently as September 2021 where an anonymous racist letter was emailed to the student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) (and subsequently almost all of the Black/African American students) at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.

In June 2020, a mixed methods research study was conducted on how underrepresented engineering students were impacted by COVID-19. The study included 500 participants, with roughly 50% of those participants identified as Black/African American. Participants were asked to respond to the prompt “Imagine you are chatting with a friend or family member about the evolving COVID-19 crisis. Tell them about something you have experienced recently as an engineering student.” Participants’ responses included a variety of topics related to coping with the pandemic and adjusting to virtual instruction, but some participants shared stories regarding racism, social injustices and unrest, and how it impacted their personal lives, mental health, and educational pursuits. This paper seeks to address the following research question: What were the experiences of Black engineering students at the beginning of the dual pandemic? Recognizing that some participants chose to address social issues in response to the initial prompt is an indicator that there is much needed discussion to be had about the experiences of Black engineering students with anti-Black racism while in pursuit of their engineering degree programs.
AU  - Racheida S Lewis
AU  - Trina L. Fletcher
AU  - Animesh Paul
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Facing a Double Pandemic: Viewpoints of African American Engineering Students during COVID-19 and Racial Unrest in the United States
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/43686
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--43686
ER  -