*Crystal R. Emery is an award-winning film and theater director, an author, a nonprofit head and the leader of a movement to increase the number of women and marginalized populations in the STEM fields. Her films are The Deadliest Disease in America—racism in medicine, by the way—and Black Women in Medicine.
She is also a quadriplegic and a motivational speaker who champions the power of the human spirit and inspires Americans to not let any limitations stop them from achieving their goals. She was named one of Good Housekeeping’s “50 over 50”Women who are Changing the World.”
On Friday, she’ll be taking a road trip from her home in Connecticut to Washington, D.C. where she is convening a summit that is free and open to the public at the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday, June 12. She’s mobilizing doctors, engineers, mathematicians and scientists from traditionally underrepresented STEM professions to come together to develop strategies for inclusion and to inspire hundreds of young people from our nation’s capital to take up careers in STEM. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Johnathan M. Holifield will participate.
It’s important because only 14 percent of all science and engineering doctorates are awarded to nonwhite, non-Asian students despite those communities currently representing 35 percent of the U.S. population.
The event will also serve as the book launch for Crystal’s most recent book Master Builders of the Modern World: Reimagining the Face of STEM,” a work profiling innovators in STEM.
Crystal was recently the first black woman to deliver the commencement speech at UCONN’s College of Liberal Art and Sciences on May 6, where she received a standing ovation and was profiled in The Hartford Courant (with video of her): https://www.courant.com/education/hc-uconn-commencement-20180506-story.html
*WASHINGTON — A groundbreaking national public forum is headed to the nation’s capital to develop tangible and sustainable solutions for equity and inclusion in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and medical fields.
The “Changing the Face of STEM: A Transformational Journey” forum returns to the National Academies from 2:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12, with science and technology luminaries including computer scientist Dr. Juan Gilbert and engineer Sabrina N. Thompson.
Featuring former U.S. homeland security secretary Governor Tom Ridge and Johnathan M. Holifield, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the event is presented by nonprofit multimedia production company URU The Right to Be, Inc., in conjunction with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The event is free and open to the public.
Currently, only 14 percent of all science and engineering doctorates are awarded to nonwhite, non-Asian students, although those communities currently represent more than 35 percent of the U.S. population, according to the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Census Bureau.* ꜛ Changing the Face of STEM, a national engagement campaign conceived by filmmaker, educator and author Crystal R. Emery through her nonprofit URU The Right To Be, Inc., aims to address this issue by encouraging people from marginalized groups in America to pursue STEM careers and become global innovators who will be the architects of our future.
Following a successful launch in 2017, which convened more than 300 STEM professionals, policymakers, educators, students and members of the press for an informative and inspirational day of resource sharing and strategizing, an expanded version of the forum will occur this year. This year’s event is open to students and adults of all ages and will feature leading scientists, technologists, doctors and academics from a variety of cultures, as well as corporate leaders, with one-on-one mentoring dialogues, hands-on science workshops and screenings of Emery’s thought-provoking films “Black Women in Medicine” and “The Deadliest Disease in America.” The forum will serve as a think tank to create action plans for future STEM initiatives and culminate with a TEDx-style roundtable conversation among the notables gathered. Howard University professor and award-winning journalist Jennifer C. Thomas will serve as mistress of ceremonies for the evening program.
“The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are extremely proud to host this timely conversation and thank Crystal Emery for her leadership in changing the face of STEM,” said National Academy of Sciences President Dr. Marcia McNutt. “Here at the National Academies, we take seriously our responsibility to lead from the top; we are working on new strategies to elect a more diverse membership so that every young aspiring scientist sees someone just like him or her among the nation’s elite researchers.”
The event also features the world premiere book launch of Crystal R. Emery’s latest publication, “Master Builders of the Modern World: Reimagining the Face of STEM,” which profiles innovators in STEM. Emery will be joined by those featured in her seminal book, including engineer Christine Darden, aerospace engineer Aprille Ericsson, engineer and automotive innovator Bisi Ezerioha, environmental health scientist Dr. Jerome Nriagu and technology digital strategist Irving Wladawsky-Berger.
“Our country’s demographics are changing; and to win the global race for talent and remain innovators, it is urgent that we embrace this shift and chart a new course for excellence and inclusion in the science, technology and medical fields. Key to this is early intervention in exposing young people of all backgrounds to these careers,” said Emery, a quadriplegic who has triumphed over two chronic diseases to become an outspoken voice on the intersection of race, gender and disability. The filmmaker and author was named Good Housekeeping’s “50 over 50; Women Who are Changing the World” and her writing has appeared in Time, and HuffPost, among others.
“The National Academy of Medicine sees increasing diversity in STEM as a foundational priority to ensuring biomedical innovation and a strong scientific workforce in the United States. We are pleased to support this forum,” said National Academy of Medicine President Dr. Victor J. Dzau.
“Crystal is one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever had the pleasure to share an afternoon with,” said Ridge, who will be on hand to spend some more time with Crystal on the afternoon of June 12 to deliver remarks. “Her creativity, her films, her books, her words, they change lives.”
The event is being presented with the generous support of State Farm Insurance, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES).
The National Academy of Sciences building is located at 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20418.
For tickets to the event, register at www.URUtherighttobe.org. To find out more about Changing the Face of STEM, the book or the films, visit www.URUtherighttobe.org or follow @ChangingSTEM on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For more information about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, visit www.nationalacademies.org or follow @theNASEM on Twitter and Instagram or @NationalAcademies on Facebook. Join the conversation at #ChangingTheFaceOfSTEM, #MasterBuildersOfTheModernWorld and #STEM.
ABOUT URU THE RIGHT TO BE, INC.:
URU The Right To Be, Inc., is a non-profit organization based in New Haven, Connecticut, that utilizes film, theatre, publishing and other arts-based initiatives to touch the hearts and minds of its audience and inspire people all over the world. URU’s mission is to foster communication and understanding among diverse racial and socioeconomic groups and to be an agent for change to help create a more equitable, humane world. URU achieves this through community engagement, policy, advocacy and programming, taking action at the individual, organizational and public policy levels to help forge the next generation of leaders and professionals. The mission stems from the belief of its founder, Crystal R. Emery, that art can define and transform both individuals and civilizations.
source:
Alimah Boyd
Cheryl Duncan PR
[email protected]
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