Just because you sing about chemistry doesn’t mean you can inspire people to study chemistry.
Chemistry was crazy from the get-go
Neither one of us knew why
We didn’t build nothing overnight
Cuz a love like this takes some time
People swore it off as a phase
Said we can’t see that
Now from top to bottom
They see that we did that (yes)
It’s so true that (yes)
We’ve been through it (yes)
We got real sh** (yes)
See baby we been…
~ Lyrics from Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You”
I’ve been scratching my head over NASA’s choice to use incredibly talented R&B singer Mary J. Blige as their spokeswoman to help inspire young girls to go into math and science.
Don’t get me wrong, I love that NASA is trying to do something to alter the pathetic participation rate of women in the so-called STEM industries — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I’ve written about the lack of women in STEM for a while now.
Only about 17 percent of girls take advanced placement tests in computer science while in high school, the lowest level of females among all such exams, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology. And in 2008, women earned only 18 percent of computer science degrees, compared to 37 percent in 1985.
But why would NASA pick Blige of all people to turn this around?
“Mary’s presence can help NASA make the STEM message more appealing to these communities and increase the pipeline of underrepresented students going into these disciplines,” said NASA space shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin.
This seems like odd reasoning. If I’m going to be inspired by Blige, wouldn’t it be to become a successful entertainer? How’s she going to convince a young girl to become a software engineer or a math teacher? Blige dropped out of high school. Isn’t it sort of like having Mel Gibson do PSA’s for Alcoholics Anonymous?
Here’s a PSA Blige did for NASA with Melvin that was released earlier this month:
She’s really trying to make an effort, bless her heart. But she had trouble herself conveying why she’s an appropriate role model in a CNN interview yesterday.
After gushing over Blige, CNN commentator Ali Velshi actually asked her some important questions:
“What is it that gets NASA’s message to your audience? What is it that gets your audience involved with the programs that NASA is offering and ultimately leads women into a broader education?” he asked.
Blige’s response:
Well, I mean, the fact that when women see me, it automatically — they’re connecting with it because they’re curious. And they want to know, OK, what is Mary J. Blige doing here? OK, this must be something that she’s interested in.
And a lot of my fans and even their children are interested in the things that I’m interested in. So I bridge the gap and I open the door to say, wow to the regular, normal fan at home, and make her say, “Wow. Really, Mary? OK, let me see what’s going on with this.”
And that’s what I’ve been. I’ve just been almost, like, my entire life and career just like a vessel and kind of like the sacrificial lamb that says yes, I’m here. You know?
Actually, I don’t know. Do you guys?
The choice is even more perplexing when you consider what experts say about why there aren’t enough women in tech or science. It’s all about a lack of role models.
Kristen Lamoreaux, founder of SIM Women, part of the Society for Information Management, an association of nearly 4,000 CIOs, believes girls need to see women in these STEM roles as much as possible if they are to enter the field in any great numbers.
“I believe there is a lack of visible examples of successful women in technology,” Lamoreaux said, “and that it is imperative for every woman in IT to reach out to young women. Women of all ages benefit from mentorship, but even if there were simply a heroine that young girls could aspire to emulate, I think young women would better understand the options available to them and we’d see more of a change across the industry.”
If that’s true, they won’t be emulating Blige if they take the nerdy route.
Hey, I don’t want to be too hard on Blige because I think she’s doing some great things with her philanthropic efforts, the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), and her attempt to help young women consider something many would never even ponder.
But there’s this mad rush lately to look hip and cool and I think this just looks like a desperate and dying institution trying to look hip and cool but lacking substance or any real energy to change things.
Here’s when I’m supposed to come up with a better alternative than Blige. But I admit, I’m not marketing savvy enough to come up with one. I’m open to suggestions folks.
I asked my Twitter friends if they thought Blige was a good or half-assed choice, and here are some of the responses:
@ontimeconcierge “good ole strategic plan for diversity outreach?! Extremely 1/2 of 1/2 an ass!”
@mySenSay wrote, “Seems more effective to highlight actual women who have been successful in math and science.”
and…
@JerseyBred323 wrote — I love Mary, but what abt Mae Jemison? She didn’t make the short list?
Just in case you’re wondering who Jemison is, she’s actually an astronaut.
She seems pretty cool, but can she sing?
August 31st, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I’ve read several articles on this topic and the quesion that comes to me is why is it such a big crisis that females don’t want to work in these fields?? Are we concerned that they are somehow barred from the technical fields? Or that we raise them to not think they are smart enough? I guess those would be concerning, but if they’re not interested is that really such a tragedy? I can see why physical vocations such as construction, law enforcement and the military have intimidating aspects, but when I look at the IT department of my organization I don’t get the impression they see it as a big boys club.
Also, in the media there is the common portrayal of the computer genius as female - I’m thinking of Abbey on NCIS and the computer genius Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds. Also the Medical Examiner position is often female on television. We could go on with this list for a while …
This post is off-topic, I know, but I think this is an example of getting riled up about something that young women today would find puzzling.
September 1st, 2010 at 10:08 am
I would like for all the “degree-holding, smarter than everyone else” who disagree with NASA’s choice of Mary J. Blige to represent them to tell me who they should use instead. I’ll put all of my money that you will suggest people along the lines of who they’ve already used in the past, which obvioulsy hasn’t worked.
That is the problem with America and why our youth has so many issues. No one feels they should take the efforts to step outside the box to reach young people. Instead, we look at them and say, “you need to do what we say or else you’re life will be a disaster.” Obviously that doesn’t work and if we cared anything about them or our country, we’d open up our eyes to new solutions instead of lazily going along with old and wrong answers.
So what if she dropped out of high school–she isn’t stupid, that isn’t the message she’s telling these young girls and if anyone has followed her career, that’s never been her message.
Wake up!
September 1st, 2010 at 10:17 am
I’m not suggesting Blige is stupid Michelle. In fact, she seems pretty smart to me.
But I wonder if her recommendations to study math and science will fall on deaf ears with kids who want to be just like her. She’s cool and hip, and seems to have made out quite well without pursuing a life as a scientist or engineer.
I remember giving a speech to hundreds of young girls at a Catholic school in my town last year. The meeting was held by CISCO, the tech company, and the purpose was to encourage young girls to go into the STEM fields. They asked me to speak because I wrote a column for MSNBC on the lack of women in these professions.
After my talk I got to meet with a bunch of young girls from the school, and several wanted to know why I hadn’t pursued a STEM job. One girl told me she thought becoming a journalist would be more fun than a math teacher.
Clearly, I was flapping my gums to these gals, but I was not a role model for a STEM job. I was telling them to go into science and math, and they were thinking, “why the heck didn’t you?”
That’s part of why I think using Blige in this capacity may not be successful in the long run.
But who knows.
September 1st, 2010 at 11:12 am
I think MJB is an outstanding choice. She continues to be seen in many communities as a role model, both for her turning her life around, and the positive choices she’s been making as a result. MJB demonstrates the potential that is latent in too many of our young girls and boys, who, through little to no fault of their own, are never able to visualize OR actualize their potential. MJB stands for that potential, and, she’ll have far more impact on the kids then a more academic-type who they’ve never heard of. Congratulations to NASA for thinking outside the box, outreaching to those who would never have even considered these areas of study previously, and to MJB for continuing her mission and her recovery. She is a testament to what can be achieved, if only given the resources, opportunity, and appropriate support system, and she demonstates the most important credo: it’s never too late.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Is NASA going after girls in general or going after Black girls?. I don’t have anything against Mary Blige but I think NASA should use women that have been successful in Science, past NASA astronauts,IT.
It should be somebody that can show their struggle before getting to where they are. The message should not be about career only but there should be how they live their lives, environment that they live. In Summary what success in the career translate to.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:22 pm
If I remember correctly, Albert Einstein wasn’t the greatest student either and look at what he’s contributed to society. I applaud NASA for trying to go past their boundaries and select someone that can actually inspire young women to be confident and consider other alternatives. I respect women that have chosen to pursue tech/science related careers. However, if there is still a significant imbalance in the ratio of men to women, then the approach to recruiting women hasn’t produced the desired result. If nothing changes,nothing changes.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 am
I find the responses here more interesting in the article. If you’re looking for top talent these days, you need to deploy SEVERAL strategies and not just one to bring people to the applicant table. NASA obviously realized that there’s a demogrpahic they had issues reaching and so they came up with an approach that they hope will support their goals. MJB is widely respected for her empowerment message in both her music and in her personal life. She exemplifies the role of a determined survivor and that success is possible. NASA hired her because of what she represents and who her followers are, which includes not just African American girls, but also girls AND boys from other heritage groups. People tend to gravitate toward the familiar–someone they know to help them make choices. Instead of criticizing whether or not MJB is the BEST choice, why don’t you go look at all of the strategies that NASA uses to bring in its applicants.
In all honesty, not all strategies may work but with five generations in today’s work force and a global talent pool to cultivate, you need a multi-pronged approach and so I applaud NASA for recognizing that.
And if you’ll remember your history, Nichelle Nichols, in her role of Lt. Uhura on STAR TREK, was an inspiration to many young women everywhere to want to join the space program in the late 60’s and early 70’s. She was not a singer, she was an actress playing a part. Nor was she a hired sponsor–but she was one element that contributed to quite a few folks checking out the space program back then.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:19 am
You know, I could see Nichols being a good role model for the space program Jim. At least she played the role. But I’m still on the fence when it comes to Blige. Yes she has an empowerment message, and yes she’s a survivor, but as I said in a previous comment, the role model strategy works when young kids see cool and hip people actually doing the job they’re promoting.
But hopefully, I’m totally wrong and you guys are right.
September 6th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
I love Mary too…but as an entertainer. Mae Jemison obviously would have been a better choice
but alas, celebrity sells; and that’s what NASA is apparently after - the sell!
Any time Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Brittney Spears and others like them can be promoted and constantly paraded before us and our kids as “beautiful” and “successful,” it doesn’t take much to recognize that there’s something more afoot than the promotion of beautiful, true celebrity or great talent!
Since time began, humans have been on an identity quest. Unfortunately, when you’re looking for something that you have never seen before (love, a role model, the value of a person or thing etc.), with nothing to compare it to you end up choosing the wrong answer 9 times out of 10!
Hollywood capitalizes on this innate search by identity-seekers who have nothing beside the last “latest and greatest” splashed across a magazine cover or TV screen, with which to compare beauty, celebrity and success.
The basic questions asked of Mary could have been answered with common sense, and would probably appeal to a wide ranging audience. You’d think that her PR people (or whoever assumes responsibility for such) would have coached her in some basic pointers that would enable her to sound intelligent.
But then again (reason the powers that be), why go thru all of that trouble? Mary J is “hot!” All the people care about is being spoken to by a celebrity…not how much the celebrity knows about any particular subject! People care about stars and starlets, not NASA!
September 6th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
You may be right Mary about people caring more for stars. But we in the media aren’t helping this situation. Maybe if the major networks spent more time reporting on people like Jamison and not Hilton more young kids would care.
September 7th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
One of my dad’s cousins is an astronaut and he is African-American (and so was my dad). Daddy was a Mechanical Engineering major at NCA&T State University and had several sisters who loved and taught math. And my mom was a History teacher who was Cherokee-English-African-American. This was years ago before integration. One of the solutions to this problem is to use many resources. Contact your local Historically Black College of Universityand ask to speak to the Chemistry and Bioligy and Math Departments and in the case of NC A&T and Texas Southern A&M Univrsity )which is also an HBCU) the Engineering Departments. These schools have Math,Science and Engineering majors who are women and also alumni who fall into these categories. And let us not forget Bennett College and Spellman College which are colleges for African-American women as well. They turn out good women of color scientists also who go onto teach and to work at places like NASA.
And I also think that NASA should talk with the entire cast of the recent “Star Trek” movie which had the most racially integrated and gender integrated cast of all of the Star Treck movies ever made. These young people could serve as role models. Along with Mary J Blige who is really sincere in her efforts and is actually doing something to assist girls and women all over this planet, we could start some serious dialogue that should help in this effort. Jane Steele,MA Educator.
Note: By the way a Cherokee woman scientist invented the Agena rocket which was NASA’s go to rocket that eventually allowed the US to land several men on the moon. She is still living,lives in Oklahoma and worked for NASA for years.
September 7th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Corrections: Texas Southern A&M University. Also Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Tribal Colleges as well as The United Negro College Fund and The American Indian College Fund.
NASA has also had several male and female astronauts over the last thirty yars as well as several American Indian,Hispanic and Asian-American Astronauts. Please visit NASA’s website for more information. JS
September 8th, 2010 at 1:31 am
NASA didn’t “hire” Mary J. Blige as a spokesperson at all. They are collaborating with her FFAWN foundation. Mary is the public face of the foundation, so I see nothing wrong with her promoting its programs, even if she’s not a scientist.
Also, the audience for that PSA is clearly not young women — maybe it’s educators, or parents, or journalists. It wasn’t trying to be “cool” or “hip” at all. Isn’t her demographic more adult anyway? Perhaps her influence is more likely to get adult fans to send their kids to Mary J. Blige Science Camp than to provide a direct role model for young girls.