“You are really good at this,” she said. “Have you ever considered engineering?”

 Unfortunately for Jones, her school did not offer any classes to prepare her for an engineering or science career.   

“In lower-income neighborhoods, there is almost a negative amount of STEM education,” said Jones, now 20, of Bridgeport, Connecticut. “It’s one of the hardest things to teach, so they just don’t. They usually don’t have the resources. When I was in middle school, we had a workbook, and that was it.”  

To have the opportunity of getting into a college science program, Jones attended high school in an affluent White neighborhood 20 miles out of her city. She initially concentrated on chemistry, but was put off by her teacher, who seemed incapable of comprehending how someone can do well academically and be Black. 

“At the time I was applying for colleges, I told him that my dream school was MIT,” said Jones, “After that, every time he passed me, he would turn to someone and be like, ‘Guess what, did you know she’s applying to MIT?”  

Despite the obstacles, she succeeded and now Jones is one of only two Black female undergraduate students studying physics at New York University. The department doesn’t have a single Black woman as a faculty member and only 2 percent of practicing scientists and engineers in the U.S. are Black women.

“The route of Black women going into higher degrees in STEM is not traveled almost at all,” she said. “So, knowing that you gonna have to go through the trouble of paving your road is kind of daunting.” 

Esther Bioh, 20, of the Bronx, New York, is the other Black woman in the NYU undergraduate physics program. She said she has had a similar experience.

“Feeling supported, feeling like there are people like you, who know what you’re going through, is very important,” said Bioh. “I have a friend who dropped out of the Binghamton University’s biomedical engineering program last year due to the lack of support.”  

The need for mentorship persists in the higher levels of education. Barbara Akum, 50, of Bamenda, Cameroon, teaches biology at NYU.

“When I was doing my Masters, I was the only Black female in my cohort,” she said. “When I was doing my Ph.D., I was again the only Black female in that cohort and then every job I had, I was again the only Black person in there.” 

Akum said there is a gap  between her students who come from a background that enabled them to develop the skills necessary for a scientific degree and those who did not.

“You have students who did not have biology in their high school,” she said. “So even if they want to study it, they’re at a much lower level than every other student. Which means they have to work hard just to catch up, and then work harder to understand the material that is being taught. As a result, many end up changing their majors.  

Nia Asemota, 21, of Yonkers, New York, is a technical instructor at “Black Girls CODE,”  She said she sees her role as a living example that Black girls can grow up and work in STEM despite the obstacles. 

 “As a society, I sometimes think that we don’t often acknowledge the psychological strength and resiliency it takes for a woman of color to succeed in spaces that are predominantly filled with men,” said Asemota.

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“We’re not asking for a place on a table of things that matter,” said Nwagbogu, 49, of Norfolk, Virginia. “Black lives are the origins of all lives that matter. We created the table. We’ve set up the superstructures that inform humanity.”  

Nwagbogu thinks BLM is riding the crest of a bigger understanding of what’s going on, comparing the last several years to the end of the Cold War era and the investment opportunities to those around during that period. He refers to the shift as “the age of Aquarius,” a popular subject among the 20th century Black songwriters who prophesized the transition in their music.

 “The bigger change agent that is driving the BLM or even our own relative success is an awareness of Africanness and its impact on civilization,” he said.  

Nwagbogu believes that the near future will see a great increase in interest for everything African. His belief is held up by the rise in popularity of African products  and a drive to support Black owned businesses since the murder of George Floyd, especially among young consumers.. According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Black buying power is projected to grow to $1.8 trillion by 2024 in the U.S. alone, outpacing White buying power. There has also been an increase in galleries  interested in showing Black artists.

 “Because of the spiritual power, the essence of African art, the West wants to buy art pieces at a very low price believing that the playing field will level out,” Nwagbogu said. “So, it is now the time to invest in all things African, whether it’s art, music, real estate, anything that has Africa in view, this is the time.”   

     Conrad Francis, 74, of Harlem, is recent proof that Nwagbogu puts his money where his mouth is. Francis found out about Nwagbogu’s company after a visit to one of the professors at Norfolk State University, where he received his Master’s in Psychology.   

“Dr. Singletary (the professor) has more African American art and artifacts in his house than any museum I’ve ever been to,” said Francis. “There are paintings, there are sculptures, masks, spears. And he developed an affinity for my work, and he bought about six pieces.”

Nwagbogu’s gallery held a show for Francis, which helped him to make his biggest sale. While his initial paintings were in the mode of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Puerto Rican and Haitian artist from Harlem, Francis now feels more confident in concentrating on the more abstract, archetypes-inspired works.   

“My definition of African is very broad,” said Nwagbogu. “For me, to be African is not just to be born on the continent or to be of African descent. To be African is to have the spirit of creativity, true creativity, you know from the origins of creation. It’s remarkable that a lot of contemporary symbols and motifs are found in African tradition and world views.”

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