Letter to Raise Awareness

Important Person

Somewhere important

Washington, DC 12345

Dear Important:

                There aren’t enough of us. There aren’t enough minority youths pursuing education in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.  As an undergraduate electrical engineering major at Howard University, I know that African-Americans, particularly females, are severely under represented in this field. In my entire freshman class, only five females are in electrical engineering. Of those five young women, only three of them are expected to stay in the engineering field. This is a problem. Our young African-American women are more than capable of studying in these fields. The disconnect lies in exposure. There must be more programs to expose young people to all of the fields that they can pursue in STEM. This is why I propose an after school program dedicated to showing youth all that is possible with a degree in one of these fields. The program can be very simple, showing students the different projects that they can do, from building robots and computer programs to designing bridges and prosthetics. There is such a wide range of things available, and it all starts at getting them involved while they’re young. I will be in your office early next week to discuss the prospect of this program through your institution. Please contact me if you have any immediate questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Bethany Robinson

What is in a Name?

Something that's really boggling my mind right now is the topic of what African-Americans should be called. Black, African-American, Afro-American, Negro...it's all so confusing. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's, Negro was the new term, a step of in dignity from being referred to as a colored or the n-word. Then, as we continued to "fight the power," the simple term "black" became the most socially acceptable. But now, as a student at Howard University, I see African-American and Afro-American everywhere. Is it really that important? I'm not sure, but I know that whatever I am called, I won't let a name define me.