Black Girls Go Global

Alma Garcia is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello! My name is Alma Garcia ... Founder of Black Girls Go Global. I created this organization to expose Black girls to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.).

Why Our Programs Are So Important

A barrier exists for Black women entering S.T.E.A.M.-related careers. The images of scientists in fiction … or in real life … are often depicted as white and male. This dominated image does not resemble Black female students. It engenders a false assumption that Black girls should not aspire to become scientists because either S.T.E.A.M. careers are only designated for white men or the attainment of a S.T.E.A.M. career would go against the accepted traditional gender role. Every Black girl who aspires to pursue a field in science, technology, engineering, the arts, or mathematics should be able to do so.

According to industry indicators, the representation of Black women in S.T.E.A.M. fields is significantly lower compared to their male and non-Black counterparts, reflecting substantial gender and racial disparities.

1. Educational Attainment:

Black women earned only 1.1% of S.T.E.A.M. doctoral degrees from 2010 to 2019, showing a decrease from previous years (The Education Trust).

Underrepresented minority women, including Black women, received 13.3% of S.T.E.A.M. bachelor's degrees, 12.4% of master's degrees, and just 6.8% of doctorate degrees (Yale Scientific).

2. Workforce Representation:

Black women make up only 2.5% of the science and engineering workforce (Yale Scientific).

Overall, women represent 29% of the science and engineering workforce, with a lower percentage in specific fields like engineering (15.6%) and computer science (25.4%) (Yale Scientific).

3. Pay Disparities:

Black women in S.T.E.A.M. earn significantly less than their male counterparts. The median earnings for Black full-time S.T.E.A.M. workers were about $61,100, which is 78% of the median earnings for White S.T.E.A.M. workers (Pew Research Center).

The overall gender pay gap in S.T.E.A.M. shows that women earn about 74% of what men earn, with Black and Hispanic women experiencing the lowest earnings (Pew Research Center).

4. Employment Growth:

Despite some growth, Black women remain underrepresented in higher education and S.T.E.A.M. jobs. The share of Black women in S.T.E.A.M. fields has not seen substantial increases over recent years (The Education Trust) (NSF National Science Foundation).

These statistics highlight the persistent challenges faced by Black women in S.T.E.A.M., including underrepresentation in educational attainment and the workforce, as well as significant pay gaps. Efforts to address these disparities are critical to promoting diversity and inclusion within S.T.E.A.M. fields.

Black Girls Go Global is investing in the future of Black girls in S.T.E.A.M. and helping to break the gender/racial biases that exists. Black girls should begin to envision themselves in careers that have been predominantly occupied by white males.

Our Programs

In 2023, Black Girls Go Global offered ten (10) participants from Baltimore, MD, Sparta, GA and Tulsa, OK a S.T.E.A.M.-educational experience in Brasilito, Costa Rica that exposed them to sustainable permaculture and wildlife biology. The program was widely successful.

The Black Girls Go Global 2025 STEAM educational and cultural program will take place in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica located on the country’s Caribbean coast encompassing an architectural project involving classroom instruction and hands-on construction of a structure built with materials that have a lower impact on the environment (i.e., straw bale, earth, clay and limestone).

Black Girls Go Global (BGGG) has partnered with Butterfly Bearthworks, a Black woman-owned construction firm in Costa Rica, that specializes in straw bale construction, earthbag construction, and transforming existing spaces with earthen plaster elements.

Our Donors

National studies still indicate that individual donors are bringing in more than 80% of charitable contributions. That's why we are counting on YOU to reach our goal of $80,000.

A donation of any amount will invest in the education of a Black girl who aspires to pursue a field in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts or Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.). Through this program, Black girls will enrich their lives culturally and academically and become ready for a global workforce.

Thank you for considering Black Girls Go Global.