Policy Brief #5
Authors:
Jakita O. Thomas, Ph.D., Auburn University

DATE

Black Women Overcome white supremacy culture to thrive
in computer science
SUMMARY

Investments in initiatives to broaden Black women’s access and
participation in computer science (CS) have been made by the
public and private sectors in recent years. Yet, Black women are
still severely underrepresented in CS, receiving just 3% of all
bachelor’s
degrees
awarded
in
the
discipline.
Underrepresentation is a result of both push and pull factors,
the conditions that discourage and attract Black women to the
field. An effort to understand these conditions more precisely
has resulted in emerging research by Auburn University
professor, Jakita O. Thomas, that details the experiences of
Black women who have persisted in CS majors and careers,
despite encountering elements of White Supremacy Culture
that attempt to subjugate their participation in the field. Black
women have found success in CS by setting and believing in
their own goals, securing mentors, and spending time with their
fathers, who were acknowledged for originally sparking their
interest in computing.
Through the narratives of the study participants, the author
reminds us that:

1) Computer Science is not a colorblind meritocracy
2) Addressing issues of access to computing alone will not broaden
and sustain Black women’s participation in the field
3) Those with power must do the work to transform the field
4) Building coalitions and maintaining relationships with Black women
is necessary for transformation

“ I was at a PWI and there were very
few African-American women in
PhD programs period and my
particular engineering and computing
program, I was the only
African-American at that time…I felt
that isolation and I had to learn to
deal with it and just always keep in
mind what my goals were.”

“I was at a large tech company [and]
would watch my counterparts, my
White male peers, get promoted
over me. I always wondered why
they were promoted with less
qualifications than I. I had my
masters in computer science and I
was not promoted.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE (WSC) EXPERIENCED BY BLACK
WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Perfectionism
To point out either how the person or work is
inadequate
Paternalism
Those with power think they are capable of making
decisions for and in the interests of those without
power. Those without power understand they do not
have it and understand who does
Power Hoarding
Power seen as limited, only so much to go around.
Those with power feel threatened when anyone
suggests changes in how things should be done in
the organization, feel suggestions for change are a
reflection on their leadership.

Individualism
Competition more highly valued than cooperation
and where cooperation is valued, little time or
resources devoted to developing skills in how to
cooperate
Knighting/Blessing
The words, ideas, and work of outside viewpoints is
not acknowledges, endorsed, championed, etc. until
someone White (preferably a White male)
champions it, acknowledges it, endorses it, etc.
Person in power has to bless or endorse capability
and knowledge, and endorsement / blessing /
knighting may have to be given multiple times before
it is accepted.

University computing departments and tech employers must commit to identifying how these WSC characteristics are embedded
in their environmental norms, practices, and incentives and create anti-racist, inclusive policies so that Black women’s
participation and opportunities are not unintentionally or systematically delimited.
• https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=cise

• https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf19304/digest/field-of-degree-minorities