The Monroe Science Center is honoring Black History Month by highlighting notable African American figures in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Her Childhood
Mae Carol Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama, on October 17, 1956. Jemison and her family moved to Chicago when she was three. Her father, Charlie Jemison, a maintenance supervisor, and her mother, Dorothy Jemison, a teacher, both valued education. Her parents took her and her two siblings, Ada and Charles, to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum of Natural History. As soon as Mae learned to read, she started checking out science books from the library about evolution and planets. When she was eight, she attended Sadie Brook Dance Academy, where she started her lifelong love for dance.
Her Education Journey
In elementary school, Mae excelled in science and created projects that focused on the evolution of life. Mae attended Morgan Park High School, where she focused her studies, excelled in her classes, and decided to pursue biomedical engineering. She also continued her extracurricular activities of theater and dance. Mae graduated from high school on the honor roll at age 16. She was one of the very few black students who enrolled at Stanford University in California. She decided to become head of the Black Student Union to address racial discrimination. She also remained true to her passion for dance, choreographing “Out of the Shadows,” a production focused on the African American experience. After graduating from Stanford, Mae attended Cornell University to pursue her medical degree. While there, she led a study for the American Medical Student Association and broadened her experience through study abroad programs in Cuba and Kenya.
Her Career
Mae graduated from Cornell with a Medical Doctorate in 1981. She later moved to Los Angeles, where she was an intern at Los Angle County Medical Center and later became a general practitioner. Mae decided to join the Peace Corps, where she served on missions after her work in Los Angeles. In 1922, Mae became the first African American woman in space. She spent eight days in space on the Endeavor for the STS47 mission. During this mission, she conducted experiments on herself and other crew members to study weightlessness and motion sickness. Following this, Mae spoke out about the abilities of women and minorities to contribute to society in significant ways if given the opportunity. Mae Jemison stands as an example for anyone who has the passion to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the world.