February is designated as Black History Month. Why is this the only time that black inventors and scientists are recognized?
—Tammy, Alabama

It is important to expose students to the many significant accomplishments that black scientists and inventors have contributed to the world. I don’t know of any performance expectations or state standards that specifically state, “Expose students to multicultural scientists and inventors within the curriculum of science education,” but cultural relevance has come to the forefront of engaging students to increase academic success. Students become more engaged in their learning when they recognize themselves in the concepts they’re studying. For example, a lesson in computer science class may become more interesting to students of color when they learn that a black female was one of the inventors behind animated GIF technology. Lisa Gelobter played an integral part in the creation of Shockwave Flash, which helped popularize web animation. Pique the interest of black male students with a discussion of Philip Emeagwali, who was inspired to rethink computer processing while studying bees. In 1989, he invented the world’s first supercomputer able to perform 3.1 billion calculations per second. Known as “the Black Bill Gates of Africa,” he ignited a revolution in technology. Check out “14 Black Inventors You Probably Didn’t Know About” on Thinkgrowth.org at http://bit.ly/2uxx23S for more. Educators should take the opportunity to incorporate multicultural acknowledgement in their curriculum, integrating them in lessons throughout the school year because Black History is American History.