SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
A nationally acclaimed program designed to introduce Black girls to computer science has been abruptly canceled just weeks before students were set to arrive on campus — a casualty of a federal directive to end race-specific educational initiatives.
The Legacy Computer Science program, launched in Alabama and expanded nationwide, offered coding lessons, Advanced Placement test prep, and mentorship from tech industry leaders. Funded by a $3.5 million National Science Foundation grant, the program aimed to close racial gaps in STEM by empowering Black girls from Alabama, Michigan, Mississippi, and Ohio.
But in April, the grant was terminated after former President Donald Trump issued an executive order prohibiting race-based programming. Though organizers quickly attempted to redesign the program to include students of all races and genders, that effort failed to keep the funding alive.
“We knew if we wanted to keep it alive at least for the next year, we’d have to pivot,” said Dr. Jeff Gray, a computer science professor at the University of Alabama and one of the program’s key leaders. “And then the week after we did that, we got terminated” (AL.com).
For students like Phanuelle Manuel, the cancellation was devastating. Now a freshman at UA and a Randall Research Scholar, Manuel credits the program with helping her discover her passion — and her place — in computer science.
“I already had the dorms reserved and the meal plan set up, and we even were starting applications,” Gray told AL.com. “Some of us have spent 300 or so hours on the project.”
Legacy had already shown remarkable results. Of 71 participants in its early Alabama pilot, 72% earned a 3 or higher on AP exams, outperforming national averages across every other demographic, including white and Asian males, according to Dr. Mohammed Qazi, a faculty lead at Tuskegee University.
But beyond scores and coding, the program gave students something rarer: community and confidence.
“That aspect of community and sisterhood played a very big role in the success of the project,” said Qazi in an interview with AL.com. “Our role is to remove the barriers to access. Often in these rural communities, there’s not the type of mentoring available in the more affluent districts.”
Legacy connected girls with mentors from Intel and other major tech companies and created a pipeline to higher education and leadership in an industry where Black women still represent just 3% of the workforce, according to the United Negro College Fund.
Manuel, whose sister Phaedra also joined the program, said the experience changed her life.
“Computers and technology were cool, but it wasn’t my thing. A lot of the things my sister did guided me into my career path,” she said. “Now I’d rather struggle with my code for hours than do anything else, because it’s a very rewarding experience.”
She learned of the program’s cancellation while speaking at a national women-in-tech conference and was left stunned.
“My mind is still kind of reeling about it, because it was such an integral part of my life and my sister’s life,” she told AL.com. “And getting to know Dr. Gray through that program is the reason why I attend UA at all.”
Qazi emphasized that faculty will push forward, but the students — especially those in underserved communities — will feel the brunt of this loss.
“The ones who are going to suffer are the students,” he said. “We’ll survive as faculty, but the students are not going to get the support they need.”
Despite the setback, Manuel remains determined.
“No matter what the government says, what restrictions say, I know that I belong in this field, and I know that I love this field,” she said. “I’m not going to change my interests because someone out there thinks I can’t accomplish this or I don’t deserve to accomplish this.”