Yvonne Y. Clark, known as Y.Y., had a lifetime of groundbreaking achievements. In the final episode of this season’s Lost Women of Science podcast, we see how Y.Y.’s more than five decades of teaching educated a new generation of mechanical engineers, ...
Yvonne Y. Clark, or Y.Y., taught at Tennessee State University, a historically Black university, for 55 years. In this episode, we hear from Y.Y.’s colleagues, students and family members about who she was as an educator and how she’s remembered. We’ll also explore where historically Black colleges and universities stand today—particularly, the reason they graduate so many many successful Black scientists, compared with other institutions, and their place in the future of science.
CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: But to YY and some of her contemporaries, being the first is a complicated thing. In this final episode, we’ll explore some of the reasons why.CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: We’ll also hear from the people carrying on the legacy of that work at HBCUs, particularly, the people supporting Black students as they pursue STEM careers.
Tennessee State is one of a group of schools known as historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs. HBCUs were established before the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. At a time when the vast majority of institutions barred Black people, HBCUs provided a means to an education. CHARLES FLACK: She was a force, a quiet force, to be reckoned with, although she was probably four 11.
PEGGY BAKER: Everyone had to take this one, like intro to engineering class. And Ms. Clark was the instructor PEGGY BAKER: She says, okay, I'm gonna need you to come up here. I got an interview for you just come on up. PEGGY BAKER: Confidence is a big thing, and she instilled confidence in us. And, you know, that's just who she is, who she was.
KATIE HAFNER: All it took was one conversation with YY and he changed majors. A lot of students gave YY’s advice a lot of weight. Her office became a kind of haven for students, where they could go to get an honest and clear perspective. CAROL LAWSON: I knew she ran the department and I knew she had a lot of papers. That's what I knew. And a lot of students. My understanding at that moment was I shared this woman with these people.
KATIE HAFNER: Lilia and YY were also neighbors and good friends. And if anything in Lilia’s house needed fixing… CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: In fact, Lilia was one of 30 women invited to a conference focused on the experiences of minority women in the sciences. Over two days, they exchanged ideas and memories, and researchers compiled their findings in a landmark paper called the Double Bind. They found that even when programs existed to support women or minorities pursuing higher degrees…
CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: And this makes you think about YY’s firsts. Yes, YY was incredibly brilliant, and came from an ambitious and supportive Black family. She was talented and curious. LILIA ABRON: She had no choice but to go to college, I mean, there was no option that, oh, you have to get married. Black families never thought like that, at least the ones I know. No, the woman had to work. I mean, you know, both husband and wife had to work to bring in the income of one white man.
KATIE HAFNER: And she got another first while she was there. While researching her thesis, she worked at the Ford Motor Company’s glass plant – the same plant that she applied to when she first moved to Nashville, over a decade earlier. Back then, they told her, "we have no use for you." In 1971, she became the first woman to work as an engineer there.
KATIE HAFNER: In many cases, it was YY who helped make these connections, organizing internships or securing interviews, just like she did for Peggy. MILTON CLARK: Mom felt that it created a level playing field because once you are credentialed, that's something that no one can take away from you. And mom utilized her time at TSU to try to get as many students credentialed as she could in her 55 years of teaching.
CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: YY's former students were glad to have the chance to tell her what she meant to them. CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell is the former president of Spelman College, a private women's HBCU in Atlanta. When Spelman was founded… CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: Today, HBCUs make up three percent of colleges and universities in the US... but 25% of all Black STEM graduates come from HBCUs.
CHERYL TALLEY: My name is Cheryl Talley. I am a professor of psychology at Virginia State University. I do research in academic interventions. CHERYL TALLEY: My question was, is it the resources that you're providing? Or is it the relationships that have been formed? So we hypothesized that it was the relationships. And so we created relationships with near peer mentors.CHERYL TALLEY: And those students they become a group, a cohort.
CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: That's Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell again. Spelman is one HBCU that’s recognized the importance of cohorts, particularly in the sciences, because…CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: So when you work in cohorts… CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: Mary tells us that Spelman understands that science is about collective, hands-on efforts – and they teach it that way.
KATIE HAFNER: According to Cheryl, the second curriculum is key: faculty create a nurturing environment. CHERYL TALLEY: In the United States, HBCUs turned out to be a gift that came out of that horrible situation. CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: To do that, Cheryl needs to understand what she’s up against in the education system. So that’s another part of Cheryl’s research: looking at how systemic racism and inequality persist.
Many of the students starting college at an HBCU come from underfunded and underserved schools. And of course, that affects how prepared they are for college. MARY SCHMIDT CAMPBELL: Now we are, are really focusing on making sure that close to a hundred percent of our students have some placement when they leave Spelman.
MARY SCHMIDT CAMPBELL: And, you know, as I talk to potential funders and they get excited about funding, this, that, or another thing, I said, and don't forget scholarships. It is fundamental to what we need. S KEITH HARGROVE: It was very humbling to return back to TSU to serve in the leadership role of the college of engineering, the very program that produced me. S KEITH HARGROVE: Tennessee State allowed me to unleash my unknown potential. You know, there is no way, to be honest with you, I could have got through differential equations and calculus one, two, three and four without dedicated faculty helping me get through that.
CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: The best teachers leave a lasting impression on students. This in itself is a kind of legacy. YVONNE CLARK: Back at Howard, I had a professor at Howard and he said, whatever you do, when you get where you’re going and drop anchor, give back to the community.
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