Every year Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry hosts its Black Creativity program during Black History Month. Its aim is to inspire African-American children to pursue educational opportunities in STEM while highlighting the achievements of many African-Americans in the field. The juried art exhibition featuring emerging and established artists has been showcased at the museum since 1970. More recently, programs such as the Innovation Studio and the Jr. Science Cafe, have provided children with the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities led by local engineers, scientists, artists, and more.
For the past two years, Black Creativity has concluded its festivities with one final Career Showcase on the museum’s main floor. At no extra cost, families visiting the museum have the chance to interact with the many displays and crafts at booths hosted by corporations and organizations dedicated to STEM.
When I attended the event last weekend, I saw dozens of inquisitive kids and their even more curious parents filling the floor. One special little girl caught my eye as she lit up while playing with BP’s baking soda balloon experiment. Mackenzie, 4 years old, and her younger brother were filled with wonder as they watched the balloons grow before their eyes. She had done the experiment so many times that she already knew all the steps!
Organizations such as the Chicago Professional chapter of NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), BWise (Black Women in Science & Engineering), Women and Drones, and more, all look forward to presenting at the showcase each year. Not only does it provide exposure to their businesses, it also gives them an opportunity to get creative and showcase new science experiments and information. At the NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) booth, Kim Johnson and her colleague chose a classic yet entertaining experiment, the Marshmallow Tower. Together they taught the young ones how to form structures using mini marshmallows and spaghetti noodles to see who could build the strongest one. With it being Kim’s first year she said,
“I was interested to volunteer because I had never heard of the event before and I was intrigued and impressed that the museum would offer something like this for visitors. It is extremely important for me to volunteer and participate in events like the black creativity day because representation matters so much and I did not have that kind of exposure while in high school and even undergrad.”
If you want to find out more information on how to get involved in next year’s Black Creativity events, email blackcreativity@msichicago.org or call (773) 753-1765. You can also visit their website here.
