Oliver Hill, Jr. (1949 – 2020): Confronting the Duality of the Black Experience in STEM

How can one man – the son of a segregation-era civil rights lawyer – develop his personal character, pursue his career interests, and improve STEM education for the entire state of Virginia? Confronting the Duality of the Black Experience in STEM answers this question through a portraiture of the inspirational life and career of Dr. Oliver Hill, Jr. The impact this prolific HBCU STEM leader had on his students and the entire Psychology discipline was directly influenced by the perspective afforded to him through his relationship with mindfulness meditation. Even in the present day, where alternative spiritualties are commonplace, it is rare to witness mindfulness at work alongside STEM leadership. However, Dr. Hill’s devotion to a meditation-based spiritual practice guided his entire career in the cognitive sciences and became a foundational influence on his other roles as mentor, community leader, and higher education administrator. Through mindfulness, the late researcher-professor-spiritual teacher-administrator tackled racial injustice and forever changed how we think about our approaches to educating Black students in STEM. Dr. Oliver’s views and actions speak to a contemporary approach to STEM education that current and upcoming STEM faculty and leaders can reference for decades to come.