Robototes

Black Lives Matter.

We, the Robototes, are outraged by institutional racism against the black community in our country. We feel it is our obligation to fight to end racism and the injustices it brings. We will not stay silent.

We are fighting for human rights and the unity of humanity. We must use our voice to help educate and spread awareness of the inhumane acts of violence being committed towards black people within this country. Black Lives Matter.

Let’s say their names: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Oscar Grant, Althea Bernstein, Walter Scott, Mya Hall, Devid Felix, Tony Robinson, Samuel Dubase, Dante Parker, Amir Brooks, Devin Howell, Kendrick Brown, Lavon King, Kalief Browder, Dante Parker, Tyre King and many, many more...

When we say black lives matter, we aren’t saying all other lives don’t matter; rather, we have to help those who really need it. All lives can’t matter until black lives matter. For hundreds of years, our black brothers and sisters have been oppressed and silenced from slavery to segregation to systematic racism, and it needs to end now.

“If one house is on fire, doesn’t mean we should spray water on all of them.”

Racism in STEM

Source

Throughout American history, minorities have been discriminated against within STEM fields, from lower pay for the same work, unequal job opportunities and under representation along with many other racist issues listed to the left in these statistics.

"Greatness is not measured by what a man or a woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals" -Dorothy Height

"If I can't work with you, I will work around you" -Annie Easley

"If we want STEM to support the entirety of our diverse society, we must first employ a decent representation of that diversity in these fields." -Jackie O'Hara

Black STEM Inventors & Leaders you probably didn’t know about:

Kimberly Bryant, Electrical Engineer & Founder of Black Girl Code

Though, Kimberly Bryant made it to the heart of Silicon Valley as an electrical engineer, she noticed that minorities were severely underrepresented in the startup world. Coupled with the fact that her daughter, Kia, was sick of instructors focusing more on the boys (who outnumbered the handful of girls) at a programming camp, she knew she had to do something about it. In 2011, Bryant decided to create Black Girls Code, a nonprofit that empowers girls from underrepresented communities by introducing them to programming.

George Washington Carver, Botanist & Inventor

Though he was born a slave, George Washington Carver became one of the most highly regarded botanists of his day. He developed a mobile classroom that allowed him to teach farmers on-site. He researched new uses for existing crops, and supported replacing expensive commodities with less expensive crops. Much of this research focused on peanuts. In fact, Carver uncovered more than 100 uses for peanuts!

Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician

Katherine Johnson was known as a "human computer," and her work helped power the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. It was with her and others like her that helped NASA win the Space Race. Calculating trajectories, launch windows, and more for many flights, Katherine's work proved as critical to the success of the Apollo Moon landing program and the start of the Space Shuttle program.

Alan Emtage, Search Engine Inventor

He created a program that would automate the time-consuming process of finding software for teachers and students. He named the program “Archie,” as a derivative of the word “archive” (without the “v”). Developed in 1990, his program was the world’s first engine, or what Emtage calls the “great great grandfather of Google and all those other search engines.”

We recognize that our team hasn't spoken up about these issues. However, we are working to remedy this and more information will be available as soon as possible.

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Announcements:

Come join the Bellevue Alliance!

Are you interested in learning about/joining a robotics team? Going to a BSD high school? Join the Bellevue Alliance, an alliance of all the high school robotics teams in Bellevue, by filling out this form- Link

If you couldn't make it to our recruitment meetings, please say so in the last question by clicking "other" and stating so.

Visit https://www.thebellevuealliance.com/ for more information.

FIRST LEGO LEAGUE Alliance - Bellevue

Do you live in the Bellevue area? Are you interested in teaching kids more about STEM, engineering, teamwork, and more, but not sure where to start/need support?

We have the perfect solution for you!

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FIRST WA Virtual Showcase Feature!

Check out FIRST WA's Virtual Showcase and Award's Ceremony, where we, the Robototes had the opportunity to talk about how we are still being a #ForceForChange during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and seeing this extra time as an opportunity to connect virtually. (We are featured at around 12:00.)