"What Can I Do, What Will I Do" oral history collection

The "What Can I Do, What Will I Do" oral history collection looks at Black women working in the science and technology fields in the early 1990s. Although during World War II many women saw their work opportunties expand- due to both the rise in jobs supporting the war effort and the cross-industry vacancies caused by men in the service. After the war, women were largely expected to return to their former roles, and in the STEM fields- which had never been flooded with women to begin with- there was a concerted effort via discriminationatory policies, underemployment practices, and the increased focus on gender norms and stigmitization of women balancing career and family during the Cold War to restrict the number of female scientists. Advocates from colleges and universities, as well as in professional organizations led by women, such as the Society of Women Engineers, however, labored to counteract these measures via scholarships, media campaigns, and mentorship opportunities.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the calls for equality grew and, bolstered by the Civil Rights movement, second-wave feminism was born.

Although the interviews in the What Can I Do, What Will I Do collection all occurred in 1992, it should be noted that all interviewees grew up and were educated during or in the wake of these groundbreaking historical moments.