5 Fun STEAM Projects To Honor Black Historical Figures

Bessie Coleman was a civil aviation pioneer as the first Black woman to obtain a pilot’s license and the first Black woman to fly a plane.

Coleman gained an interest in aviation upon hearing her brothers tell stories of French women flying planes in World War I. When she applied to aviation schools in the US, she was denied, but she eventually moved to France in 1920 to become a pilot. In France, she was accepted into flying school, earned her pilot’s license, and returned to the US.

She eventually realized she wanted to further her flight education as a stunt pilot. Coleman went back to Europe for training in France, the Netherlands, and Germany before returning to the US again in 1922.

In honor of Bessie Coleman, you can create your own airplane using clothespins and craft sticks. The options are endless, and you can allow your creativity to flourish as you channel your inner pilot.

Charles Drew was a surgeon, professor, scientist, and researcher whose discoveries allowed for storing blood plasma for transfusion. He also organized the first large-scale blood bank in America.

While Drew was intelligent, he focused more on his athletic skills as a college athlete. It wasn’t until his sister died and he was hospitalized due to a football-related injury that he developed an interest in medicine.

He attended medical school in Canada and eventually became a professor at Howard University in Washington, DC, one of the top historically black colleges and universities.

Drew eventually earned his doctorate in medical science from Columbia University, becoming the first Black person to earn that degree at Columbia.

In 1941, Drew became the supervisor of the Blood Transfusion Association for New York City and oversaw the Blood for Britain program, saving the lives of thousands of soldiers during World War II. He managed two of the largest blood banks during World War II.

In honor of Charles Drew, you can re-create how the heart pumps blood by making a simple heart pump model with just a few items you likely already have at home.

Mae C. Jemison is an engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She was the first Black woman to travel to space when she joined the Space Shuttle Endeavour as a mission specialist and orbited the earth 127 times over seven days, 22 hours in 1992.

Jemison obtained her degree in chemical engineering and African American studies from Stanford University and her medical degree from Cornell University. Afterward, she became a general medical doctor.

Jemison knew since childhood that she wanted to go to space. In 1985, she applied to NASA after witnessing Sally Ride become the first American woman in space in 1983.

She became one of the 0.75% of people chosen for a special NASA mission, a joint mission between the US and Japan. During her time in space, she fertilized frog eggs and observed them as they developed into tadpoles.

While in flight, she took a picture of Bessie Coleman, paying homage to her legacy. As mentioned above, Coleman was the first Black woman to hold a pilot's license, an international pilot's license, and fly a plane.

In honor of Mae C. Jemison’s contributions to NASA, you can create a simple and fun straw rocket that actually blasts off into the air! Jemison would be proud.

Garret Augustus Morgan was an inventor and entrepreneur, creating multiple items such as a respiratory hood (gas mask), a hair-straightening chemical, and the traffic signal.

Morgan left his Kentucky home as a teenager and moved to Ohio, where he worked repairing sewing machines. This sparked his interest in how machines work. He eventually opened his own sewing equipment and repair shop and additional businesses as he found success as a business owner.

In 1914, he patented the Morgan safety hood and smoke detector, which served as an early day gas mask. Gas masks allow you to breathe when there’s smoke or dangerous chemicals in the air, such as with firefighters.

Almost 10 years later, he patented the T-shaped traffic signal, which served as an early day traffic signal. While it wasn’t the first traffic signal invented, it did improve upon earlier inventions by controlling traffic better.

The T-shaped traffic signal had moving arms directing which way traffic should go.

In honor of Garrett Augustus Morgan and his T-shaped traffic light invention, you can create a balloon-powered Lego car. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about your car running any red lights at home.

Matthew Henson was a brave explorer who became the first person to reach the North Pole during an expedition in 1909.

Henson was born in Maryland before moving to Washington, DC, at 4 years old with his father. At 11 years old, he left home and moved back to Maryland, where he found work. During his time as a cabin boy upon a ship, he learned about seamanship and began traveling the world.

Henson traveled internationally for years and eventually made it his goal to reach the North Pole. After multiple unsuccessful attempts, he and his team, notably Robert Edwin Peary, made one final attempt in 1908. Eventually, on April 6, 1909, that trip proved successful as Henson, Peary, 40 dogs, and four Inuit assistants reached the North Pole.

In 1937, nearly 30 years after reaching the North Pole, he became an honorary member of the Explorers Club in New York. Then in 1944, he and other members of the 1909 trip were awarded a Congressional Medal.

In honor of Matthew Henson being the first man to reach the North Pole, you can build your own igloo made of milk jugs (or a smaller one using cotton balls).