Sustaining Community and Relationships with Black and Latina Girls in an Out-of-School STEAM Learning Program during a Global Crisis

Despite widespread and concerted efforts, women and people of color are still dramatically underrepresented in STEM fields. Research in this area suggests the oppressive cultures surrounding STEM are one reason for the disparities in STEM participation across social categories. Cultivating counterspaces in STEM for girls and Black and LatinX learners continues to be critical, especially in the current moment when the vast majority of learning activities have shifted online. In this study, we examine an out-of-school time STEAM learning program designed for Black and Latina middle school girls to better understand how community and relationships can persist as the learning landscape shifts from in-person to online due to a global pandemic. We argue that counterspaces are critical to understanding why supportive community is necessary for Black and Latina girls particularly.