The Swaliga Foundation hosted the eighth annual #STEAMtheBlockParty on Saturday, Aug. 10 at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast, D.C. In its first year held at the arena, the free event welcomed kids of all ages to learn about careers and opportunities in the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) fields.
A variety of vendors were present selling handmade jewelry, artwork, and oils while smaller children could have fun in the “Yo Gabba Gabba”-themed moonbounce.
Other festivities included multiple raffles, where winners received multiple high-tech drones, and a Raising Canes gift basket.
Organizations like KID Museum, Tech TurnUp, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) brought innovative tech that kids could have fun interacting with while learning about STEAM.
One of the exhibits was Binary Beat, by KID Museum, a device created through math and science in the style of a pinball machine that allows kids to build their own songs loop by loop.
“It’s all about getting kids into coding, getting them into using their STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and art skills for weird purposes and we found that music is a great way to do that,” said Jake Sanford, exhibit developer at KID Museum.
Tim Weeden, founder of Tech TurnUp, shared his joy in informing the youth about STEAM related activities.
“I’m really excited to be here because it gives us organizations a chance to come together and show young people about the different creative ways that we’re working with technology,” said Weeden.
Ward Eight Councilmember Trayon White Sr, made an appearance at the event to push for STEAM education and opportunities for District youth– particularly African American students.
“In our community we need to be informed and know what career opportunities are out there. I think STEAM provides a pipeline and a funnel to get into careers and entrepreneurship,” said White. “Far too often we miss out on opportunities because we simply don’t know.”
Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes helped moderate a conversation with Swaliga Founder and CEO Lemond Brown and student members of the foundation.
She stressed the importance of STEAM education to the crowd.
“One day there will be a young person in your community, or school that will need to be part of this program. STEAM is really important because it pulls it all together,” Rolark Barnes said.
During the discussion, Brown explained why he started the Swaliga Foundation.
“I saw that there was a gap for Black students, specifically in the STEM field,” he exclaimed.
The event was hosted by artist and personality, Chardelle Moore, and included exciting performances from ENTATY, UCB, Uptown XO, Pinky Killacorn, and MR. IMAG, Brown’s stage persona.
The Washington Informer was a media partner for this event. Other partners included Best Buy, Under Armour, Events DC, DC Arts & Humanities, OLÉ Entertainment, LLC., Minority Tech Foundation, National Endowment of the Arts, and WUSA-9.
With the growth in STEAM over the last decade, leaders like Brown and White are emphasizing the importance of careers in STEAM. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), about 24% of the workforce is employed in STEM fields, however racial disparities exist. The NSF’s “Diversity in STEM: Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities,” report reveals Asian workers had the most employees in STEM, with 39%, while the lowest share was among Black workers, representing 18% of the workforce.
“We need to have a more intense focus on STEAM [careers] because it gives people the opportunity to get out of poverty,” declared Councilmember White.