Advisory: Adams Announces the 5th Annual HBCU STEAM Days of Action, Starting March 28, 2022

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) announced the Fifth Annual HBCU STEAM Days of Action to be held virtually via Zoom throughout the week of March 28, 2022.

A press availability with Rep. Adams, HBCU Caucus Leaders, and STEAM Days participants is scheduled for 10 AM EDT on Friday, March 25. Members of the media and other interested parties can RSVP here.

While most events are closed press, at 12:00 Noon EDT on Thursday, March 31 Rep. Adams will host "HBCU Partnerships 101: Best Practices for Engagement Across Industry," a panel discussion that is open to the public. Interested attendees, including press, can register here.

"HBCUs contribute nearly $15 billion to our annual economy and have provided pathways of opportunity to millions of Americans, many of whom are first generation college students. I would not be in Congress today if not for the North Carolina A&T University," said Congresswoman Adams, Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. "That is why HBCU STEAM Days is such an important event. It's a time when HBCUs come to Capitol Hill to advocate for more equitable federal resources – and they don't come alone. They are joined by industry leaders who have made a commitment to creating strategic and sustainable partnerships with HBCUs. As we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic and contemplate future challenges, it has never been more important to make sure every talented student has access to a world class science, technology, engineering, arts, and math education."

During STEAM Days, HBCU and business leaders will meet with Republican and Democratic Members of Congress in the House and Senate. Over 100 HBCUs, organizations, technology companies, and industry leaders are sending representatives to participate in these days of advocacy.

As co-chair of the HBCU Caucus, Rep. Adams also leads the HBCU Partnership Challenge, which will be highlighted during HBCU STEAM Days. A major announcement of new partnership challenge members will be made during the event.

Sixty-seven percent of job seekers say a diverse workforce is important when considering job offers, and organizations that report higher levels of racial diversity bring in nearly 15 times more sales revenue than their counterparts. The Bipartisan HBCU Caucus believes that in order to achieve true diversity in our workforce, we must focus on the front-end of this conversation – our students and the schools they attend.

The impact of HBCUs on our workforce is clear. HBCUs produce:

• 27 percent of all African-American STEM graduates;
• 40 percent of all African-American engineers;
• 50 percent of all African-American lawyers;
• 50 percent of all African-American public-school teachers; and
• 80 percent of all African-American judges.

These statistics demonstrate it is impossible to have a diverse and inclusive workforce without HBCUs.

For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Sam Spencer (Sam.Spencer@mail.house.gov).

Congresswoman Alma Adams represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte, Mecklenburg County). In 2015, she founded the first bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus in Congress. She is a double graduate of North Carolina A&T, the largest HBCU by enrollment in the United States.

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