The MCC Libraries offers resources to learn about African American STEM contributors, as well as issues related to underrepresented minorities in STEM. Resources include streaming video, articles, and books.  Please find a selection here and remember to login with your MEID when off campus.

Select Streaming Video

Films on Demand

The Legend: The Bessie Coleman Story - Full Video (01:47:42)

In 1921, aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman arose from the poverty of the Texas cotton fields to capture the hearts of the black population of America.

Kanopy

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, First Black Heart Surgeon in America - Full Video (44 minutes)

Daniel Hale Williams was an African-American cardiologist that performed the first successful open heart surgery. He also founded Provident Hospital, the first non-segregated hospital in the U.S. Dr. Williams was an extraordinary man of incredible talent and merit and his exceptional accomplishments are documented with great care in this inspiring program. Born to 'freed people of color' in 1856, he attended medical school at what is now Northwestern University in Chicago to become a practicing surgeon. His observations that American Blacks were treated as second-class citizens within the medical community, both professionally and as patients, motivated him to establish and run the first hospital for Blacks in the United States; Provident Hospital. Williams set up the first nursing school for Blacks and performed one of the first open heart surgeries in the world. His encounters with institutionalized racism gave him the courage and determination to create more hospitals and educational programs like the one he had at Provident. In 1885 he co-founded the National Medical Association for Black Doctors and openly encouraged African Americans to support hospitals that would offer first-rate care to African-Americans. In 1913, he became a charter member and only African American in the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams' notable achievements as a Cardiac Surgeon helped to revolutionize the field of medicine and humanize its practices.

All the Difference - Full video (83 minutes)

Inspired by New York Times bestseller "The Other Wes Moore", Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer/director Tod Lending presents ALL THE DIFFERENCE, an acclaimed film about African-American manhood.

Filmed over five and a half years, ALL THE DIFFERENCE weaves together the stories of two tough, yet promising young black men as they navigate broken homes and low-income, high-risk communities in Chicago. Although statistics predict they will drop out of high school and succumb to life on the streets both graduate and go on to college in spite of all the odds. After they graduate, the film follows them for another 6 months as they both find meaningful work in community service.

The film explores the factors (education, parents and grandparents, teachers, role models, personal drive and community support) that enabled them to be the first in their families to escape poverty and secure a place in the middle class.

Select Articles

• Lancaster, C., & Yonghong Jade Xu. (2017). Challenges and Supports for African American STEM Student Persistence: A Case Study at a Racially Diverse Four-Year Institution. Journal of Negro Education, 86 (2), 176–189. EBSCOhost
• How to engage more African Americans in STEM. (2016). American Scientist, 104(3), 192. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A452585654/EAIM?u=mcc_mesa&sid=EAIM&xid=3967bebb
• Meador, A. (2018). Examining Recruitment and Retention Factors for Minority STEM Majors Through a Stereotype Threat Lens. School Science & Mathematics, 118(1/2), 61–69. https://doi-org.ezp.mesacc.edu/10.1111/ssm.12260
• Davis, D. B., & Farran, D. C. (2018). Positive Early Math Experiences for African American Boys. YC: Young Children, 73(2), 44–51. EBSCOhost http://search.ebscohost.com.ezp.mesacc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=129327307&site=ehost-live
• Leath, S., & Chavous, T. (2018). Black Women’s Experiences of Campus Racial Climate and Stigma at Predominantly White Institutions: Insights from a Comparative and Within-Group Approach for STEM and Non-STEM Majors. Journal of Negro Education, 87(2), 125–139. EBSCOhost https://doi-org.ezp.mesacc.edu/10.7709/jnegroeducation.87.2.0125
• Morton, T. R., & Parsons, E. C. (2018). #BlackGirlMagic: The identity conceptualization of Black women in undergraduate STEM education. Science Education, 102(6), 1363–1393. EBSCOhost https://doi-org.ezp.mesacc.edu/10.1002/sce.21477
• Morettini, B. (2017). Challenging Their Conceptions of Intellectualism: Exploring the Relationship between Race and the Motivation to Teach for STEM Educators. Journal of Negro Education, 86(2), 163–175. EBSCOhost https://doi-org.ezp.mesacc.edu/10.7709/jnegroeducation.86.2.0163
• Archer, L., Dewitt, J., & Osborne, J. (2015). Is Science for Us? Black Students’ and Parents’ Views of Science and Science Careers. Science Education, 99(2), 199–237. EBSCOhost https://doi-org.ezp.mesacc.edu/10.1002/sce.21146
• Stephens, M., & Wilson-Kennedy, Z. S. (2019). A Call for Transformative Leadership: Addressing the Lack of Female Full Professors in STEM at HBCUs. Peer Review, 21(1-2), 14+. Academic OneFile https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A601219314/AONE?u=mcc_mesa&sid=AONE&xid=3185e2f8

eBook Titles

Black Women in Medicine - KCET.org Full video (56 minutes)

"Black Women In Medicine" honors black female doctors around the country who work diligently in all facets of medicine. Through first-hand accounts from a cross-selection of black female pioneers in medicine and healthcare-including Dr. Claudia Thomas, the first black woman orthopedic surgeon and Dr. Jocelyn Elders, the first black woman to hold the position of United States Surgeon General-the program details the challenges these women have experienced and continue to face today in their drive to practice medicine. The documentary brings the inspiring stories of these trailblazing women within reach of those who most need to hear them, especially the next generation of medical professionals. By combining historical context with a look at the current generation coming up through the ranks, "Black Women In Medicine" chronicles stories of excellence and perseverance that engage, encourage and motivate, planting seeds of aspiration in the minds of future doctors.

Online Resources

Selected Internet Resources African Americans in Science and Technology

"Forgotten Genius," Nova, Library Resource Kit Bibliography

"Changing the Face of Medicine" Online Exhibition

Organizations