Unpacking the Unique Role of Black Women Computer Science Educators

In the United States (US), the value Black women bring to their classrooms is critical, yet research examining their experiences as computer science (CS) teachers has been underexplored. Using a theoretical framework grounded in Black feminist thought, this paper highlights the important role of this subgroup of the teaching population by illuminating the unique intersectional experiences and perspectives of four Black, women, high school, CS (BWHSCS) teachers in the southern US. We center the voices of BWHSCS teachers to better understand their unique experiences and assets as Black women, allowing us to examine the extent to which historical context and issues of race and gender inform their pedagogical practice.


INTRODUCTION
In 2016, the Obama administration launched Computer Science (CS) for All, sparking a focus on the need for more equitable access to computer science education for K-12 students.Simultaneously, in an effort designed to increase access to computer science courses, the College Board launched a new advanced placement course, AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) [34].Although AP CSP has been somewhat successful its mission, with the number of students taking the end of course exam more than doubling over the first four years of implementation, the data also shows that these efforts to increase access have done little to shrink the vast gap between Black students and their white and Asian peers.In 2022, only 7.9% of students taking the AP CSP exam were Black, a disturbing figure considering that approximately 15% of high school students are Black [15,33].
We posit that the lack of success in broadening participation in CS education is a remnant of the long history of, and opposition to, school integration.The almost seventy years since Brown vs. Board of Education has resulted in little progress toward the integration of public schools, with 60% of Black students still attending a school that is both majority Black (separate) and high poverty (unequal) [17].As Bettina Love [2019] states, "The achievement gap is not about White students outperforming dark students; it is about a history of injustice and oppression.It is about the education debt that has accumulated over time due to the educational survival complex" [p.92].Digging our way out of Ladson-Billings' [2007] "education debt" will require thoughtful, targeted efforts directly addressing the past as opposed to ignoring it.
A consequence of the movement for desegregation was the dismissal of tens of thousands of Black educators, as it was considered untenable to put a Black teacher in charge of white students [48].The firing of Black teachers solely based on race is indefensible, and the negative consequences of the whitening of the teaching profession is now being recognized as a key factor in the continued underachievement of Black students.Black teachers are known to have higher expectations for Black students.For example, a Johns Hopkins University study found that exposure to just one Black teacher in grades 3-5 cut high school dropout rates for Black male students by 39% [18].
In particular, Black women teachers bring a unique intersectional perspective to their classrooms [18].They often embrace the maternal role they play in the lives of their students, and as, what Ware [2006] calls "warm demanders," they see it as their job to nurture and support their students, celebrate the cultural differences students bring into the classroom, and maintain high expectations of success [25].Black women teachers also represent visible role models for existing and aspiring female computer scientists.According to Dennehy and Dasgupta [2017], having academic contact with a Black woman teacher has longlasting positive influences on Black students, particularly girls.For these students, being able to identify and engage with role models who share their racial identity helps them not only imagine themselves in STEM but enhance their perceptions of STEM careers, boost self-efficacy, increase motivation, and promote belonging [39].

OUR POSITIONALITY
The African proverb, "until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter" reminds us that the identity of the researcher is of critical importance, as it often dictates the perspective that is centered and, conversely, the perspective that gets placed on the margins [4].As Black women researchers and educators, we acknowledge that our lived experiences, both in and out of the classroom, shape the way we approach research and the topics we choose to explore, and that although the experiences of individual Black women are unique, the historical experiences of all Black women, as well as our position within the hierarchy of power in the United States, creates a shared, collective experience.[8].We acknowledge that living at the intersection of racial and gender oppression affords us a breadth of knowledge about the experiences of Black women teaching CS because they too exist at that margin [7].These shared experiences create a kinship which allows for engagement in communal dialogue and creates space for these Black women to openly and safely discuss how they have come to know and understand their positioning in CS culture and the world.To honor this shared experience, we choose to include ourselves in any discussion of Black women in this paper, using the pronouns us, we, our and ours.

GROUNDING THE WORK IN BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT
This research project, grounded in Black feminist thought, seeks to unpack and share the thoughts of four (4) Black women teaching AP CSP to answer the following question: How do Black women teaching computer science define themselves and their roles in the larger CS education space?
The recognition of Black women's unique position, along with a lack of inclusion of the challenges faced by Black women within the mainstream feminist and Black civil rights movements, led to the creation of the National Black Feminist Organization in 1973 [26].This organization brought new attention to the unique experiences and voices of Black women in political activism as well as research [10].This new research focus developed into Black feminist thought.
The most salient theme of any work grounded in Black feminist thought is that its core purpose is to provide a vehicle for justice.Those utilizing Black feminist thought in their work maintain a focus on the development of a Black women's standpoint not simply to illuminate challenges, but for the purpose of liberation.This theoretical viewpoint "affirms, rearticulates, and provides a vehicle for expressing in public a consciousness that quite often already exists.More important, this rearticulated consciousness aims to empower African American women and stimulate resistance" [8].
Our research question aligns with three of the guiding premises of Black feminist thought: intersectionality, selfdefinition as resistance, and Black women as essential workers.

Intersectionality
Inherent within Black feminist thought is intersectionality, which posits that the overlap of race and gender, among other identities, creates unique experiences and focusing on one identifier at a time always overshadows those who live at that intersection, specifically Black women [11].Historically, Black women have been unfairly asked to choose race or gender as their primary social justice allegiance, a double bind.[31].Even recent struggles for civil rights, like the 2020 uprising after the police killing of George Floyd, have sparked debates about which Black lives are given media attention, and which stay in the shadows.Comparisons of the coverage of George Floyd versus that of Breonna Taylor led to a reminder that Black lives include the lives of Black women and led to the creation of #AllBlackLivesMatter to remind the public.
Intersectionality also asks researchers to not solely focus on adaptation in the face of oppression, but instead understand the systems and structures that create oppression [9,11].For example, the often used "leaky STEM pipeline" metaphor does not effectively interrogate and dismantle the systemic and structural barriers of United States society that are purposely designed to block the path of Black women, but instead implies that the behavior of individuals is what causes the leaks [9,16,35].Our research site, secondary education, and the subject, computer science education, are representative of the larger experiences of Black women who seek to create space for inclusion in traditionally white spaces.
The application of intersectionality to CS is not new.Thomas et. al [2018] applied the ideas of intersectionality as they studied the experiences of Black women working in computing fields, coining the term "intersectional computing."Since that point, a growing body of research, led by Black women scholars, has expanded on the foundation they built.Yolanda Rankin, Jakita Thomas, and Sheena Erete have documented the experiences of Black women across the "computing ecosystem" focusing on the systems of oppression at work within organizations and institutions that claim to seek to increase diversity [37,38].Williams et. al [2023] explored computing identity in HBCU undergraduate Black women to understand implications for participation in computing fields.Braswell et.al. [2021] highlighted the importance of out of school learning opportunities in the engagement of K-12 Black and Latina girls.Black women scholars have also led conference panels and birds of a feather discussions to engage the larger CS education community around the unique challenges experienced by Black women in the computing profession, whether in industry or academia [24,47].Our study lays another brick.

Self-Definition as Resistance
Sometimes ongoing stress from living at the margins results in the development of both healthy and unhealthy coping strategies.A common maladaptive coping strategy advises Black women to focus on resilience and perseverance.On the surface, developing the ability to progress through challenging circumstances is noble.Unfortunately, implying that an individual can choose to persevere through trauma reinforces the "strong Black woman" stereotype, encourages the continued silence of Black women experiencing trauma, and allows marginalizing societal structures to go unchanged [1].
However, the margins of society are not only places of oppression but also of great resistance.As bell hooks wrote in her 1989 article, Choosing the Margin as a Space of Radical Openness, that space provides "a site of creativity and power, that inclusive space where we recover ourselves where we move in solidarity to erase the category colonised/coloniser" [p.23].Black feminist thought leans into this resistance by seeking empowerment through a constructed knowledge of self.In other words, there are no individual behavior changes Black women can make that will result in acceptance by the dominant culture.Intersecting domains of power construct and reinforce social inequalities, and hierarchical position, based on race, gender and other identities and are designed to keep Black women on the outside.Therefore, we must define ourselves based on what we know to be true through constant reinforcement of positive views, often despite negative experiences..As Collins [2000] states, "By insisting on self-definition, Black women question not only what has been said about African-American women but the credibility and the intentions of those possessing the power to define" [p.114].

Black Women as Essential Workers
The many ways Black women are a critical component of the labor force in our society, as well as the ways these roles impact our experiences, is a core component of Black feminist thought.The overemphasis many Black women place on hard work as a measure of self-worth is a direct result of the forced labor of slavery that did not allow Black women to focus on developing connection to family or better understanding themselves.[13].
Whether as domestic workers or classroom teachers, Black women were, and continue to be, responsible for the upbringing of white children [8].The same white children who are often simultaneously being trained, by their parents and society, to see Black women as less than.If anything, while Black women are often congratulated for our successes, we are often not given credit for the hard work it takes to obtain those successes.However, this hard work has not resulted in improvements in Black women's standing in society, even though Black women are highly represented in professions considered to be essential to the daily operation of our society.Black women are congratulated in the moment, but immediately forgotten and placed back at the margins.

Participant Selection
The site of this study is an urban school district in the metro-Atlanta area.During the 2021-22 academic year, the time of the study, the school district enrolled approximately 50,000 students, 72% of which identified as Black.Approximately 3,000 students in that district enrolled in a computer science course that year.The racial and ethnic demographics of students taking CS courses in the district, and schools where our four participants teach, can be found in Table 1.In partnership with the STEM Coordinator, all seven (7) AP Computer Science Principles teachers in the district were contacted inviting them to participate in a research study about the role of mathematics in computer science classrooms.Four (4) teachers volunteered to participate, and all of whom were Black women.These four teachers have greater than fourteen years of math or business teaching experience but average less than five years of computer science teaching experience.
The small sample size (n=4) and single school district representation within the sample means that the findings from this project cannot, and should not, be taken as representative of the larger population of Black women teaching computer science in the United States.We are currently in the process of collecting and analyzing data from a larger and more representative sample of Black women CS teachers from across the United States.
We also understand that there are many definitions of what it means to be Black or a woman.Therefore, for this study, we chose to allow individuals to self-identify as Black women.In this paper, when referring to individual research participants, we use the pronouns she, her, and hers.

Data Collection and Analysis
Upon selection for the study, each of the teachers completed an online survey and participated in a semi-structured interview.After the interview, the research team realized that because of the unique, intersectional identities of our participants, their experiences as Black women were inextricably linked to their experiences as CS teachers.We knew we had an opportunity to tell the stories of Black women in CS education -stories that often go untold.We made the decision to shift our research focus to understanding the experiences of Black women high school computer science (BWHSCS) teachers.After receiving approval to modify our IRB, the four teachers were approached regarding participating in an additional semi-structured interview and one focus group.All four teachers agreed to participate.
All interviews and focus group discussions were conducted using an online platform (Zoom) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.All participant data (two semi-structured interviews, one focus group) were audio and video recorded and transcribed using an AI-generated service for data analysis purposes.Three coders analyzed the data.

Figure 1: Data analysis methodology
For interview #1, open coding was used to explore the data without making prior assumptions [6].We identified quotes and phrases from the participants that described their experiences as BWHSCS teachers.Each quote or phrase was then paired with a descriptive sentence, all of which were later consolidated into convergent and emergent themes.The responses, developed codes, and themes from interview #1 informed the question design of interview #2, which informed the questions for the focus group.The analysis process used for interview #1 was repeated for interview #2 and the focus group to incorporate participant responses into the existing themes, as well as determine if any new themes emerged.

FINDINGS
We focus this paper on sharing four themes that emerged as common perspectives from all participants.Because of limited space, a representative quote from one participant is used for each theme.

We Care for People
Black women teaching CS challenge their students, regardless of race or gender, on what is and is not acceptable and place the expectations on the students, without apology, to be better people.Focused on the nurturing approach that Black women take with their students, Participant 1 (P1) equated Black women teachers to the "modern day mammy."She goes on to explain why she believes this: "Black people raised your kids.Okay?We're the ones that encouraged 'em.When you abuse 'em and told them that they weren't nothing.They couldn't do X, Y, Z. Overwhelm them with five after school activities.Because they have to be perfect.Pushing them into things that they have no interest in.Tell them they not good enough cause they didn't score whatever… I don't know one Black woman who teaches who doesn't pay attention to their students.I don't know one.I don't know one Black woman who doesn't know things about their students that other people don't know.How many kids leave from Black women's classes in general, better people.Not just better students, but better people.Because that Black female teacher let you know that you racist as I don't know what… That was racist.What you said was racist, and we not doin' that."-P1 While shocking, the reference to "modern-day mammy" recalls the historic depiction of Black women, including teachers, as nurturers and caretakers.However, historically the mammy stereotype does not include depictions of Black women openly challenging white supremacy, as Participant 1 describes [8].However, othermothers, a long-standing tradition within the Black community of caring for and raising children that are not yours, captures the ideas being presented [5].This long-standing, multi-generational practice that Black women developed by taking responsibility for the social and ethical development of all Black children continues in today's classrooms, even when the children are not Black.

We Are Transformational Leaders
When asked about the role of Black women in computer science education, Participant 2 (P2) states that "the role IS responsibility."The role Black women play in classrooms is the same role that we have been playing throughout history.
"The role is Black women in our society.People don't realize we've been leading in this country for so long.We've been leading various angles so long.And so we have to keep going forward as leaders…So, so, so for so many times, people don't realize… From even… We can go back even before slavery.You have always had the queen, you always had the person that was the driving force and making sure that things happen, things were done.So true enough, we always have been the leaders, and we have to keep that momentum going as people.It's just where we are.And our responsibility is to make sure that people are taken care of.And I mean that from the standpoint of giving structure… of giving the means… even at the point of being nurturing.

Caring about what you doing. That makes a difference, because if nobody cares, it doesn't get done. It's just what it is." -P2
As she explains, the role of Black women as the "driving force" of our society is not new.Even within communities of enslaved Africans in America, Black women "took part in all aspects of resistance, from slave rebellions to sabotage and passive This legacy of responsibility continues as Black women are being recognized as leaders in the quest for inclusive, equitable approaches to artificial intelligence, found and continue to lead two of today's most well-known social movements, Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, and are at the forefront of political change [36].For example, political activists like Stacey Abrams, alongside thousands of Black women voters, mobilized an entire nation, leading to the election of President Biden and the first Black woman vice president, Kamala Harris in 2020, as well as historic victories by individuals from marginalized groups across the country [21,42].
Participant 2 recognizes this legacy and sees herself as part of the fight for equitable opportunities in computer science.She believes she has a responsibility to her community, and our society, to care about the future success of her students.If we agree that computational thinking is a fundamental competency for all students, then the movement to provide high quality computer science education for all students is a core component of a democratic society, and "Black women should not allow a movement to be defined by others and then allow themselves to be subsequently judged, criticized, and condemned on the basis of a definition that never considered their reality."[26]

We Represent Possibility
Understanding the systemic challenges Black students, and particularly Black girls, often face in computer science, Participant 3 (P3) sees her role as one of representing what is possible.
"I think our role is what a Black doctor was, you know, 30 years ago, our role is to show people that we belong here, our job is to let people know that we're coming, you know, like, stop thinking that this is a… this is a field that we can't, we can't break into it and dominate.Because we will, we've done it in every other field.So we will, we will, I really do think that's, that's our role, our role is to show people that anybody can do this."-P3 What P3 is describing is Black women computer science teachers being "mirrors and windows" for students.First coined by Emily Style [1988], mirrors and windows is a strategy for creating more inclusive, multicultural educational settings.Style wrote: "If the student is understood as occupying a dwelling of self, education needs to enable the student to look through window frames in order to see the realities of others and into mirrors in order to see her/his own reality reflected."Participant 3 is the only teacher in our study with a degree in computer science.She sees herself as not only reflecting back to her Black students, as a mirror, their belonging in computer science, but also a window for her non-Black students to expand their perceptions of who is a computer scientist.
She sees her presence in the classrooms as a form of resistance and understands the impact of that presence.As bell hooks [2014] explains in her discussion of her experiences as a Black woman teaching in higher education classrooms: "As a Black woman, I have always been acutely aware of the presence of my body in those [classroom] settings that, in fact invite us to invest so deeply in a mind/body split so that, in a sense, you're almost always at odds with the existing structure, whether you are a Black woman student or professor.But if you want to remain, you've got, in a sense, to remember yourself -because to remember yourself is to see yourself always as a body in a system that has not become accustomed to your presence or to your physicality."

We Expect More
Participant 4 (P4) was a bit surprised by the question regarding the unique role of Black women teachers because she believes all teachers should be taking the same time and care with their students that Black women take.
"I feel like my role as a Black woman teaching computer science is to make sure that my students are prepared with the skills that they need to go into the computer science fields to have access to opportunities that will allow them to be successful in computer science.It shouldn't matter whether or not I am a Black woman teacher, or a white woman teacher.Now since I am a Black woman teaching that with the disparities that have already been recognized, I do have to try harder.And make sure that my students have those opportunities.But it shouldn't look any different than anybody else.I'm not going to not teach them something or not give them an opportunity just because we're Black.If anything, that's why I'm trying harder for them to have opportunities."-P4 The disparities she refers to are those of access to opportunity.She teaches in a low-income school where 97.1% of students are Black, 58.2% of students are economically disadvantaged, and only 6.9% of students are proficient in Algebra I [20].
Her expectation that the care and effort she puts in to meet the needs of her students would be given by a teacher of any race is ideal, but not realistic.Research shows that white teachers' expectations of Black students are lower than that of Black teachers, leading to significant achievement gaps across a variety of subjects, often reinforcing the historic perception of Black people as intellectually inferior [12].
However, the final part of her statement shows that although she believes that all teachers should work as hard as she does, she understands that her racial kinship with her students that impacts her approach when she says, "If anything, that's why I'm trying harder for them to have opportunities."

DISCUSSION
We return to our research question: How do Black women teaching computer science define themselves and their roles in the larger CS education space?
Our participants' perceptions of their roles as CS teachers illustrates how Black women not only model a deep understanding of, and compassion for, student need, but simultaneously contribute to an on-going mission of racial uplift through their presence in front of the classroom.They are cognizant that their intersectional identities, as Black women, contribute to dismantling stereotypes of who is smart and who "can do" computer science.As P3 shared, "And, you know, we want more minorities, whether it's women or people of color, we want more of us in this field...And that won't happen if they don't see any examples of it." They know the unique value they bring as both content and pedagogical experts (essential workers), and actively seek to dismantle negative stereotypes of who gets to teach computer science.As P1 reminds us, "It's not lost on me that I am making it possible for them to have shifts in their minds about who can actually access computer science.Like I'm… It's not lost on me that I am a black female, and I am the teacher." They view themselves as vital to the empowerment of all their students, but especially their Black students.As P2 stated, "They can be themselves, they can wear their hair natural, they can feel like they're just them as individuals." These Black women, like many others, create spaces of communal support, while simultaneously resisting how the field of CS, and society in general, defines them (self-definition as resistance).Through a deep connection to their intersectional identities and remaining true to their self-defined role as Black women teaching CS in K-12, each challenges the cultural norms of CS and contributes to a more inclusive and diverse perception of who belongs in CS.

CONCLUSION
Almost seventy years after the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, we find ourselves back where we started.Schools are more segregated than ever, and the teaching profession, especially those who teach computer science, is overwhelmingly white [27,43].A key component of broadening participation in K-12 computer science is lifting up the voices and experiences of teachers, including those who are typically overlooked, i.e., Black women.In particular, it requires acknowledging that the physical body teaching computer science impacts the culture and climate of the classroom.When that body is that of a Black woman, her continued presence challenges dominant views that uphold the racist patriarchy and rejects myths about who can teach and be successful in K-12 computer science [23].Instead of expanding opportunities for those at the margins, limiting who teaches computer science contributes to the continued lack of representation of Black women in computing fields [19].
The implications of this research are far-reaching.The important role Black women CS teachers play in the lives of all children, regardless of race or gender cannot be overstated.They are role models, challenging stereotypes and inspiring students to pursue computer science.They provide insights into career paths, offer mentorship and guidance, and ultimately expose students to professions they may not have considered.Through the amplification of their voices, we not only acknowledge the disparities and unique challenges they face due to their marginalized status in CS, but more importantly, shed light on ways to create a new culture within CS of inclusivity through curriculum redesign, policy engagement, leadership positions, and advocacy for resources and opportunities for skill development, networking, and career advancement.In all of these ways, research centering both the role and voices of Black women teaching computer science is a powerful tool for broadening participation.

Table 1 :
Demographics of CS students for school district and participant schools [45]stance."[29][p.27].Most notable is Harriet Tubman who was responsible for Underground Railroad rescues of over 300 enslaved Africans and worked alongside the Union army during the Civil War[45].