Black History Month: The Tech Pioneers You Need To Know About (Part V)
To commemorate Black History Month, we have been spotlighting the pioneers in tech who have paved the way for up-and-coming Black technologists.
For our latest edition, we have decided to spotlight the tech industry people making moves today. From making coding easily accessible for all to inventing the programming language behind platforms like Adobe – these are the pioneers you need to know today.
Saron Yitbarek
Saron Yitbarek is working to make coding accessible for all. So the entrepreneur and founder of CodeNewbie decided to create a way for everyone to code, no matter their background or skill set.
CodeNewbie started as a weekly TwitterChat to connect people learning to code by Saron. The group later became an international community of people learning to code. Through the global network, people can gain support and access to an inclusive community of coders.
Yitbarek is also the host of the CodeNewbie Podcast, which covers a wide range of topics in tech, including; how to get into Web3 development and how to handle failure.
Kathryn Finney
Kathryn Finney is a multidimensional investor, entrepreneur, innovator, and businesswoman. Finney is widely known for her work to make capital funding a lot more accessible for Black and Latinx women.
Through her venture capital firm, Genius Guild, Finney created a $20 million fund to help Black founders with the tools needed to accelerate their businesses.
Finney has inspired many Black and Latina women looking to break into the tech industry. Her platform, digitalundivided, provides tailored programs to all participants to help them on their journey to success.
The platform also provides participants with a 12-month fellowship program, a virtual training course, and a fast-paced accelerator program for Latinx and Black women-led startups.
In 2018, Forbes branded Finney as one of America’s top 50 women in tech.
John Henry Thompson
John Henry Thompson, known to many as the pioneer of computing, is the inventor of the Lingo programming language – many people may recognize it from programs like Adobe Director and VideoWorks.
The Jamaican-born entrepreneur studied studio art at the New York Student Art League and the Boston Museum School. After graduating, Thompson’s main objective was to gain as much knowledge as possible about technology to invent his computer language eventually.
Since its launch, lingo programming has been used to create flash and shockwave programs widely used in video games, web design, animation, and graphics.
“I want to make it easy for people to use the computer as an expressive instrument,” Thompson said in an online blog post. “[I want to] inspire people to learn about themselves and the world.”
The tech enthusiast moved on from his tech role to teach mobile app development classes in his hometown, Jamaica.
Get to know more Black tech pioneers here!
