With the establishment of National Science Teachers Association in 1944, minority NSTA educators saw a need and began meeting informally in 1970. In 1980, the Black/Minority Caucus was formed. Annually, members would network during the George Washington Carver Breakfast at the NSTA national conference to discuss issues of multicultural/equity and diversity in science education.

In 1989, the Multicultural Education Committee was formed within NSTA. Recognizing the need to take a stand on multicultural issues, in 1991 a Position Statement on Multicultural Science Education (revised in 2000) was developed within NSTA. Evolving into the Multicultural/Equity Committee, this NSTA committee assisted in the review of the publication “Celebrating Cultural Diversity” published by NSTA in 2001 (http://static.nsta.org/files/PB156Xweb.pdf).

The Association for Multicultural Science Education (AMSE) was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1989. Complying with the guidelines of affiliation established by NSTA, AMSE is one of eight affiliate organizations allowing for a voice on the NSTA Governance.