Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 1-16-18

Features
The Oil And Natural Gas
Readers Share
Industry Offers Higher Wages
Opinions About Oprah
For Black STEM Professionals
Winfrey Presidency
BY FREDDIE ALLEN (NNPA Newswire Editor- In-Chief)
When it comes to preparing the next generation for careers in science, technology engi- neering and mathematics, also known at “STEM,” Jack Ger- ard, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Insti- tute, said that leaders in the oil and natural gas industry have to answer the “awareness ques- tion.”
“There are many people out there, today, that don’t really understand the oil and natural gas industry or the opportuni- ties that it can present for them, their families and for well-paying careers,” said Ger- ard. “It’s incumbent upon us, as an industry, to have this dia- logue more often and to inten- sify this discussion, so that people really understand,” the connection between the oil and natural gas industry and their everyday lives.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Joint Center for Political and Eco- nomic Studies, recently hosted a panel discussion focused on increasing diversity and inclu- sion in STEM careers and in the oil and natural gas indus- try.
API, the only national trade group representing all facets of the oil and natural gas indus- try, according to the group’s website, supports 10.3 million jobs in the United States and nearly 8 percent of the U. S. economy.
The panel discussion coin- cided with the release of a new RAND report titled, “Postsec- ondary Education and STEM Employment in the United States.”
The report, which was pre- pared for API, examined na- tional education trends and the relationship between degree at- tainment and employment and wages, specifically in STEM fields.
“Many of tomorrow’s best paying careers, at all levels, will require some kind of training or education in a STEM disci- pline,” said Gerard.
STEM degrees can lead to higher earnings and can help to close the wage gap between Blacks and Whites. Those higher earnings are even more pronounced in the oil and gas industry.
Blacks with STEM Bache- lor’s degrees earn $45.15 in hourly wages in the oil and nat- ural gas industry, compared to Blacks with non-STEM bache-
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The talk on the political cir- cuit seems to be boosting Oprah Winfrey to run for President of the United States in 2020.
The question of the week is: “Do you think Oprah Winfrey would be a good choice to repre- sent Democrats in the next elec- tion?”
Danny Green said, “I Think that
Oprah will
make a great
Bishop Michelle Patty
(From left-right) Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA; Dr. Calvin Mackie, a motivational speaker and founder of STEM NOLA; Spencer Overton, the president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; and Jack Gerard, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, pause for a photo a during a panel discussion about diversity and inclusion in the oil and natural gas industry at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA).
president. Trump had no experience in politics. After Trump, I think anyone can be presi- dent.
Dr. Samuel Wright said, “Yes! If Trump can hold office, she sure can. That’s all I am saying.”
DR. SAMUEL WRIGHT
lor’s degrees, who make $28.10 per hour, according to the RAND report.
Whites with STEM Bache- lor’s degrees make slightly more per hour than Blacks with STEM degrees working in the oil and natural gas industry ($45.26 vs. $45.15).
Gerard said that over the next 10 years about 50 percent of the oil and natural gas work- force is going to “turnover.”
According to the IHS Global report on minority and female employment in the oil and natural gas industry, Blacks accounted for 6.7 per- cent of the total workforce.
Gerard said that as the current workforce reaches re- tirement age, the industry will need a rising generation to fill those jobs. Understanding the demographic shifts the indus- try has to get more aggressive in addressing that challenge, added Gerard.
“If we’re going to do the things that are necessary to move the needle to impact those 1.9 million jobs, we have to go where most people don’t want to go and that’s in the Black and brown communi- ties,” said Dr. Calvin Mackie, a motivational speaker and founder of STEM NOLA. “We often talk about STEM in a way that a common man and common woman re- ally can’t grasp.”
Mackie said that millions of Black and brown boys play football and basketball every Saturday, dreaming of making it to the NFL or NBA, even though their chances of achiev- ing that goal are statistically low.
“If we’re going to solve this problem, we have to go to the communities and make sure
that on every Saturday there are a million Black and brown kids doing STEM, hoping and believing that, 15 years later, they will become,” millionaires and billionaires, said Mackie.
Mackie runs a program that exposes elementary and high school students from un- derserved communities to STEM principles and STEM ca- reers.
Gerard said that leaders of the oil and natural gas industry recognize that they have to en- gage more effectively with mi- nority communities, in order to build relationships and train and recruit their future work- force.
Overton said that working with groups like the National Newspaper Publishers Associ- ation can improve the oil and natural gas industry’s outreach in the Black community.
Mackie said that in order to increase awareness about STEM careers in the oil and natural gas industry, programs have to be culturally and envi- ronmentally relevant.
Some education advocates fear that Black children, often- times don’t have access to those resources.
Gerard noted that the oil and natural gas industry con- tributes to the production of the energy efficient screens found on windows, the paint on the walls in our homes and of- fices, the fiber composites in the carpet, and the plastic com- ponents in smartphones.
Gerard continued: “If we can work on this together, we’re going to see a lot of op- portunities out there, because people will start making those connections between [the oil and natural gas industry] to things they take for granted and to well-paying careers.”
DANNY GREEN
Hillsborough County Com- missioner
Les Miller,
Jr., said, “I
have two
questions.
The first is
where do I
send cam-
“She is very intelligent, and very caring. I met her and she is a very beautiful woman inside and out. She would surround herself with good people and she would be a great president.”
Clarence Fort said, “I am sure Oprah
can make a
great or better
president than
Donald
Trump with
the right peo-
ple in her cabi-
net. I don’t
think it will be
about the money as Donald Trump.”
Billy Wheeler said, “Oprah cer-
tainly couldn’t
do any worse
paign contri- COMMISSIONER
CLARENCE FORT
butions? The
second is wheredoIgotoworkonher campaign?
“The lady may not have a background in politics, but Donald Trump has no idea what politics is all about. He has totally divided this country. He has divided the people and he has divided us from our allies. They don’t trust us anymore.
“She may be what we need. She may not have a political background, but she has the ability to pull people together regardless of their race, creed, color, religion, or national ori- gin. We need someone who can bring this country together and I believe she can. I hope that she does run.”
Rev. Karen Jackson Sims said, “I
love Oprah
and believe
said, “Yes, she
is very intelli-
gent, has com-
mon sense, compassion,
knows what’s
going on in the
world and is a
great listener.
She is every-
thing that the
one we have now isn’t.”
BISHOP MICHELLE PATTY
LES MILLER, JR.
than what
we’re seeing
now. That said,
I think ad-
vanced educa-
tion in a field
linked to gov-
ernment, pre-
vious work experience in civic administration, and a personal past that confirms good charac- ter are top essentials for a suit- able presidential candidate.”
Ms. Fredi Beck said, “All I can say is she
is smart, wise,
strategic, and
so superior to
who is in the
White House
right now, that
my answer
would be
YES!”
she is excel-
lent at what
she does. That
being said, she
should keep
doing what
she currently
does and con-
tinue to bless others through her generosity and leave the election process to those with experience in how government operates. The last year should have taught us all that another actor is not what is needed in DC.”
BILLY WHEELER
MS. FREDI BECK
REV. KAREN JACKSON SIMS
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018