At the start of Black History Month 2019, Google designed its daily-changing homepage logo to include an image of African-American activist Sojourner Truth, the great 19th-century abolitionist and women’s rights activist. But what would Truth say about Google’s continual lack of care and respect toward people of color? While bringing more attention to Sojourner Truth is venerable, Google can do better. As a professor and researcher of digital cultures, I have found that a lack of care and investment by tech companies towards users who are not white and male
I’d been working spotty freelance contracts for years and finally landed a stable full-time job in NYC. I was receiving a competitive salary doing something I would easily do for free, and I quit after a year — to do it my way. Teaching and uplifting others, building inclusive and innovative community spaces, and diversifying the technology industry from top to bottom have been personally important to me for over a quarter of my adult life. I’ve spent the last 6 years devotedly working as a software engineer, educator, and entrepreneur with
Welcome friends 👋 I had the opportunity to run an interactive workshop this year at Afrotech Fest 2019 in collaboration with Cynthia Mukendy from African Gist. The purpose of the workshop was to brainstorm and create a library for individuals of the African diaspora in the UK who are currently working or interested in Tech. Things that we covered during the session: Forums/communities that cater to individuals currently working or interested in tech. Inspirational people in tech of Black/African/Caribbean descent. Local organisations / business that support with funding / co-working space / mentoring
I recently quit my full-time Software Engineering job and for the stereotypical Millennial reason; to pursue a career I love and have a passion for. I didn’t want to work to only be about making money but about making something that was impactful in the ways that I find most important in life, and that is by telling stories. Storytelling has always been an essential part of the human experience whether through words or imagery and in my life when I was unable to put words to my emotions, watching
About three years ago, I published a story about how the Twitter app I built in high school, Follow, reached 150,000 downloads in two years. In that article, I alluded to the even larger story about how I got into software. Well, here it is. Nine years ago today (wow!) I got my first remote gig writing software. I didn’t have an official title or anything, but I was writing scripts in Java. To give you some perspective, 10 years ago I was in 9th grade, 13 years old, with
When I first started at Lever I shared my story about my journey here with some coworkers. It was deeply personal, but the people I talked to encouraged me to keep telling that story. I wanted to share some of it here because I know others will see themselves in it, and I believe that we should be real and celebrate whatever paths we take to get where we’re going. Here’s a few things you might know about me. I’m motivated, passionate, adaptable, and determined. I drove more than 2,700
According to Terragon’s Digital Trends for Nigeria in 2018 report, about 6 million Nigerians use Twitter actively every month. Over the years, the social media platform has changed the way Nigerians interact with one another online and with other users all over the world. It has also bridged the gap between citizens and the Nigerian government as many government officials and agencies have active Twitter accounts. In Silicon Valley, San Francisco, California, the tech giant’s headquarters, various teams of diverse specialties, educational backgrounds work together to ensure that users of the platform all over
There is only one Dave. In the process of meeting new people and becoming familiar with my new work environment here at Techstars, I met Dave. Dave told me, “Remember I am the only Dave. There are two or more Davids, but I am the only Dave.” At Techstars, everyone seems to know there are several Davids but one Dave. Why is this important? It isn’t unless your name is Dave (or David). This seems complicated when I write it out, but I have found that everyone knows the Davids
Today, communities of color face a battle to uphold civil rights that have been abridged through online platforms. The opportunity, well-being, and liberty of Black and Brown Americans is intensified or denied as emerging technologies transform our society. Civil rights by definition are sets of guaranteed privileges that include equal treatment, equal opportunity, and the ability to be free from discrimination. The civil rights movement in the United States was a two-decades-long struggle with the goal of enforcing constitutional and legal rights for African Americans. The movement was mostly about
A few months ago, over lunch a friend mentioned: “I first came across your name from your writing [articles] but I had no clue that you had this experience and your story was so unique.” That comment was the catalyst for writing this post. In this post, I want to break down the components that led me to start writing and how traveling, entrepreneurship, product management, and diversity in tech has provided me with a satisfying career to date as well as rare experiences. These seemingly unrelated themes have been
