It's the same reason we have a black history month in the US but not a white history month, or the same reason we have gay pride month but not straight pride month.

It's because every month is a white history month, and every month is a straight pride month.

A white child in the US is very unlikely to get the impression that their race might make it hard or impossible for them to become an engineer, so there is no need or benefit to specifically pointing out to your child that some great engineer is white.

Not so for a black child. There is a very real possibility that their being black will make it harder for them to become an engineer. Being show other people who faced the same hardships and overcame them can help keep them from getting discouraged.

> Not so for a black child. There is a very real possibility that their being black will make it harder for them to become an engineer.

There's also the very clear benefit of affirmative action that makes it easier to become an engineer, preferential treatment at top schools etc.

While a white child, and even more so an Asian one, might look at laws and statistics and Harvard and realize that, indeed, it is provably harder for them to become an engineer.

Who would say you're racist for showing that white engineer?

Also...I'm not a minority, but I can imagine that if I looked around and there were none of my kind in a position of power, I'd start to think maybe I shouldn't be there.

You can show a white child a picture of a white professional all day long and personally I wouldn't call you a racist.

The issue is that children are much more likely to see a white engineer and a black one, so you’re not really showing your child anything new.