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Open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
During Black History Month, we are honored to celebrate the amazing and groundbreaking influences of notable Black scientists that left indelible marks on STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math).
The theme, “African Americans and Labor,” intends to encourage broad reflections on intersections between Black people’s work and their workplaces in all their iterations and key moments, themes, and events in Black history and culture across time and space and throughout the US, Africa, and the Diaspora. Like religion, social justice movements, and education, studying African Americans’ labor and labor struggles are important organizing foci for new interpretations and reinterpretations of the Black past, present, and future. Such new considerations and reconsiderations are even more significant as the historical forces of racial oppression gather new and renewed strength in the 21st century.
View our daily calendar for showtimes!
Early learners and their grown-ups are invited to learn more about Black STEM professionals and enjoy science-themed stories. Relax as our planetarium educators read stories under a bright and beaming Moon.
Books include:
Black-Owned Businesses Guide in Pittsburgh
A guide from Visit Pittsburgh that lists and links to local Black-owned businesses and events.
BlackAFinSTEM Collective
The BlackAFinSTEM Collective “seeks to support, uplift, and amplify Black STEM professionals in natural resources and the environment through professional development, career connection, and community engagement. We aim to inspire new audiences to engage in nature and share the stories of Black conservationists from across the African diaspora.”
Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-op
From the Pittsburgh Foundation: “Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh (BUGS) educates and assists Black people in maintaining gardens and small farms to address the food desert problem that persists in many majority-Black communities.”
Tracy Baton (she/her) is a Black queer cis-female psychotherapist, community organizer, anthropologist, historian, and clinical social worker from Pittsburgh. She grew up in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods and has asked questions about human rights since high school. Tracy attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a bachelor’s degree in medical anthropology focusing on South Africa. In addition, she attended the University of Florida, where she received master’s degrees in both medical anthropology and African history before returning to Pittsburgh and earning an additional master’s degree in social work. Among her many honors are the J. William Fulbright (IIE) Fellowship and the Linda Vance Award for Historical Writing on Women. She did her field research on women’s labor in rural South Africa. Upon her return to the US, she won two “Best of Pittsburgh” awards for peaceful First Amendment protest as leader of the Women’s March – Pittsburgh. She worked as an anti-racism organizer for Mennonite Central Committee and as a private psychotherapist. She is the lead clinician at Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, working with LGBTQ+ youth and families. She loves gardening and antiques. She is also delighted to be the mother of three daughters and the nana of two grandchildren.
