Kimberly Bryant’s Black Girls Code Among The List Of ‘Trailblazing’ Organizations Handpicked By JFF
Today, Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit that drives transformation in the American workforce and education systems, released a new report identifying 14 trailblazing organizations working to increase the number and proportion of Black Americans in high-earning technology careers.
Developed with support from Comcast NBCUniversal, the report—Purpose-Built to Advance Equity: Expanding Opportunities in Tech for Black Americans—is rooted in an analysis of more than 200 startups, educational institutions, nonprofits, and other programs focused on the development of Black talent in technology.
“To disrupt historic patterns of occupational segregation in technology, we cannot ignore the systemic barriers to access and advancement that begin in K-12 schools and persist in communities and in the workplace,” said Michael Collins, vice president at JFF and a lead author of the report.
“The most successful models are not only helping Black talent build skills and secure employment, but also making long-term investments in mentorship, social capital, and networks that enable Black professionals to access—and sustain—careers in technology.”
To assemble the findings, a team of researchers analyzed the work of more than 200 companies and organizations, assessing them based on innovations, program outcomes, and their ability to help Black talent and leadership in tech jobs and industries.
The Innovators to Watch are:
A nonprofit that has provided software development training to more than 30,000 Black girls ages 7 to 17 to help them get started on journeys that could lead to careers in tech.
It provides recruitment services that connect Black technologists to companies with diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environments.
It provides college students with no-cost coding courses, mentorship, and career support to prepare them for careers in tech.
A nonprofit community of Black and Latinx tech professionals offering internships, mentoring programs, and professional development opportunities for early-career technologists.
A peer mentoring community that provides a safe and positive environment for Black technologists to support and learn from one another.
A Birmingham, Ala.-based nonprofit working to address gaps in K-12 and adult computer science education, with a model that includes wraparound supports like participation stipends and device grants.
Developer of a digital platform called the Inclusion Index that offers large and midsize employers insights about the effectiveness of their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
A nonprofit that creates pathways into tech careers for girls and young women and advocates for gender equity in K-12 computer science and has taught 450,000 girls to code.
A nonprofit which helps young Black males build the experience, networks, and technical skills to succeed as technologists, leaders, and entrepreneurs.
A platform which offers employers a data-driven approach to improving their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
It matches learners and workers with mentors to help them forge relationships and build the social capital they need to advance in their careers.
A skills-based hiring platform that creates new career pathways for jobseekers who may get overlooked in traditional hiring processes.
A parent holding company of a suite of businesses committed to increasing racial equity in the fourth industrial revolution.
It is pioneering the application of virtual reality to help organizations build more empathetic, equitable, and inclusive workplaces.
