A Task of Preparation

By Dr. John Brooks Slaughter

It seems like it was only yesterday. But it was in 1987, 13 years ago, that I was privileged to receive the first Black Engineer of the Year Award. I recall the evening of the award presentation vividly. I remember thinking about how my parents had sacrificed and worked to make it possible for me to pursue my dream of becoming an engineer. I wished that they could have been there to experience the event because it was because of them and because of the unwavering support of my wife, Bernice, and my children, John Jr. and Jacqueline that I was standing there to receive the award. On that occasion, none of us present could have envisioned how significant and widely recognized this annual program would become. 

I felt equally privileged to participate in this year's recognition of Dr. Mark Dean of IBM as the Black Engineer of the Year 2000. Mark's contributions to the fields of computer science and information technology are truly exemplary. As a member of the team that created the IBM PC, the machine that has transformed the way in which we live, and a leader in the development of technology for a network-connected digital world, Dr. Dean was singularly deserving of this award.

To be sure, the situation today for engineers of color is much improved over what it was when I began my engineering career. Then, the term "Black engineer" was nearly an oxymoron. In 1956, when I graduated from college with a shiny, new baccalaureate in electrical engineering, the proportion of African Americans in the engineering work force in this country was less than one-half percent. It is no joke when I say that I was the first Black engineer I ever met.

The launching of Sputnik and the subsequent "Space Race," as well as an increasing public awareness of the huge loss in human potential that was occurring as a result of discriminatory hiring practices in industry, brought about slow but inexorable change. Today, the percentage of Black engineers is 3 percent -- an improvement, but still far less than the proportion of African Americans in our nation's population. 

The reasons for this are many, but none is as significant as the dearth of Black young men and women who are encouraged and prepared in our public schools to enroll in the mathematics and science courses that are prerequisites for engineering study. Many schools, particularly those in the inner cities of America, are ill-equipped and have unprepared and unqualified math and science teachers. These schools simply cannot provide the instruction needed by children. We can no longer sit by and let this happen to our young people. We have tolerated it for too long.

Recently, the National Academy of Engineering launched a new effort to involve industry, government, and higher education in addressing the need for increased diversity in the engineering work force. The creation of this new "Action Forum" is another indication of the increasing recognition of the importance of strengthening the profession by including more of those who historically have been underrepresented.

Throughout history, beginning with slavery, Black Americans have played an important role in the building of this country. Agriculture, transportation, and construction, to mention but a few enterprises, all have benefitted, often unfairly, from the efforts of Black men and women. Today, a new set of opportunities awaits those who are prepared. It is the task of this generation to help prepare those who will build America throughout this newly dawned century. I can think of no more important or exciting assignment.

Dr. John Brooks Slaughter is president emeritus of Occidental College and Irving R. Melbo Professor of Leadership in Education at the University of Southern California. He was the first Black Engineer of the Year.