We are all familiar with the story of Katherine Johnson, one of the Hidden Figures in Margot Lee Shetterley’s eponymous text. Johnson was one of the few African American human computers who developed the mathematics which made John Glenn’s 1962 orbit of the Earth successful. At the same time, Vivienne Malone Mayes struggled to receive her doctorate in mathematics from the University of Texas. Although she was not allowed to teach classes or attend study groups because of her race, she would become the first African American woman to receive a doctorate in mathematics when she graduated in 1966. In this talk, we share stories of being Black in academia, provide some insight on the experiences of Black undergraduates in STEM and introduce some best practices for recruiting and retaining Black faculty.