A quarter of Black graduates with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degrees come from Historically Black Colleges And Universities (HBCUs), the United Negro College Fund reported. Overall, HBCUs graduate 20 percent of all Black undergraduate students, and over the years, HBCUs have invested more resources into grooming the brightest Black STEM leaders. Black and white students embark on earning STEM degrees at the same rate. Still, The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) found that Black students studying engineering earned only 4.2 percent of bachelor’s degrees in 2012 compared to 68.1 percent of white students. Overall, recent research shows that Black graduates account for only seven percent of STEM degrees. The lack of resources for Black STEM students starts at the K-12 education level. The U.S. Department of Education found that only 50 percent of public schools serving Black students in the U.S. offer calculus, and about 63 percent offer...

Workforce development is a sector across all industries that contributes to America’s economic superpower to create jobs rapidly. In an effort to maintain that reputation, the U.S. Department of Labor has officially approved Black-led tech startup ChargerHelp! — the first and only on-demand repair app for electric vehicle charging stations founded by LA natives Kameale C. Terry and Evette Ellis — for an O-NET Code. According to a press release, this code is the official identification for occupational information used by students, job seekers, and businesses. Thus, ChargerHelp! now has the ability to create more job opportunities for certified technicians. “The validation and value the U.S. Department of Labor’s O-net code brings to any industry and workforce development is extremely vital,” said Ellis — co-founder and Chief Workforce Officer — in a statement. “We are honored to have lead the way and laid the foundation for our technicians to be nationally recognized by name and...