Film as a Powerful Tool for Increasing Awareness of the Importance of Belonging in STEM

Abstract

People of color in STEM fields can face a variety of challenges with belonging due to structural, cultural, psychological, and institutional barriers. The professional development sessions described in this lesson involved using film as well as institutional data and case studies as tools to increase awareness of such issues and identify actionable changes that can promote belongingness. Two different models are described based on the sessions conducted at two different institutions, one at a private liberal arts college with growing energy around inclusive STEM initiatives, and the other at an urban Tier 1 National Research University with a stated commitment to inclusion. Both involved the screening of the film Can We Talk? Difficult Conversations with Underrepresented People of Color: Sense of Belonging and Obstacles to STEM Fields, but differed in implementation based on institutional context. Institutions can use these models to facilitate experiences that can transform the culture of STEM for people of color in their respective academic spaces. This article will also detail challenges and lessons learned in successfully carrying out these events.