The solution for increasing the number of blacks in technology…
Is exposure. Exposing more blacks to tech (especially early in life) is the best way I can imagine increasing the number of blacks in tech. I’m excited to see programs like BlackGirlsCode that aim to teach underrepresented girls ages 6-17 how to code; Code2040 that introduces high-achieving, technically-inclined minorities into Silicon Valley via internships; and finally, the NewME Accelerator for when they decide to run their own startups. It’s an epic time to be a minority in tech!
The Black in America documentary was successful at…
Giving programs like NewMe a legitimacy that they may not have had prior to the documentary.
One thing the documentary could have done differently…
Tell the story of at least one of the existing black technology founders that we met during the accelerator and then relate that to where we are today.
As a NewMe Accelerator graduate, I gained…
Really awesome friends in tech who look like I do (this is more important than people realize being a deeply-technical black woman), a very frank assessment of my strengths and weaknesses, and an epic group of advisors that have offered extremely helpful advice.
As a result of the CNN documentary…
I can also lean on a core group of really committed customers from all corners of the globe (as far away as Denmark in one case) who’ve provided infinitely more insight on and patience with the product’s development than I could have ever asked for. I’m especially grateful for them.