Historians call it ephemera: the ticket stubs and posters that often are just thrown away or put in scrapbooks. But there are times when the humble handmade sign becomes more than a personal memory — it becomes documentary evidence of a special moment in time. That’s why Smithsonian archivists started collecting the handmade posters and other materials especially created for the street protests following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Why is it important to collect this protest art? And what is its historic meaning?

Guests:

Aaron Bryant, museum curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

Steven Booth, archivist with the U.S. National Archives, and member of ‘The Blackivists’ a collective of trained Black archivists who prioritize Black cultural heritage preservation.

Alessandra Renzi, associate professor of communication studies at Concordia University, who spearheaded ‘The Art of the March’ initiative at Northeastern University - a digital archive of the 2017 Boston Women’s March.

LATER IN THE SHOW:

“See Yourself in STEM” — That’s the theme of the Massachusetts third annual STEM Week, which kicks off Oct. 19. The theme zeroes in on the need to reach out to women of color. Just 4 percent of scientists and engineers in the U.S. are Black or Hispanic women, according to a 2015 report by the National Science Foundation.

For 25 years, the Science Club for Girls has aimed to expose and engage young women of color by providing free experiential science programming in Cambridge. They’ve had great success: 100% of the girls, who mostly come from underrepresented communities, have gone on to college.

In addition to the Science Club, 26 Boston public high school seniors have won the inaugural Paula S. Apsell Scholarship, which is co-sponsored by GBH. These scholarship winners plan to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Both efforts hope to empower young women, especially, who still represent a tiny percentage of the 600,000 Massachusetts residents who work in STEM.

Guests:

Christina Exilhomme, Freshman at Northeastern University on the pre-med track, and one of the winners of The Paula S. Apsell | GBH STEM Boston Public School Scholarship.

Kaelyn Brown, Co-director of the Science Club for Girls Harvard Mentor chapter, and senior at Harvard majoring in neuroscience.

Alejandra Carvajal, Science Club for Girls’ Governance Chair on the Board of Directors and Chief Legal Officer forMomenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Cambridge.

SHOW CREDITS:

Under the Radar with Callie Crossley is a production of GBH, produced by Hannah Uebele and engineered by Dave Goodman.

Kate Dario is our intern.