Annie Jean-Baptiste, head of product inclusion and equity at Google, is on a mission to make product inclusion and equity a critical part of tech. Who is Annie Jean-Baptiste? After 10 years at Google, Jean-Baptiste now leads the diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) team, pushing the tech giant to take marginalized users into account when building its products. According to Jean-Baptiste, the idea to focus on product inclusion came about after she noticed that many things like culture and representation were internally important but were forgotten about when designing new
Home appliance brand, Whirlpool, has partnered up with Black-owned app, Magnusmode, to help further support the autistic community through technology. What is Magnusmode? Magnusmode, founded by Nadia Hamilton in 2021, was inspired by her autistic brother Troy who found it challenging to carry out certain everyday tasks. To help her brother with tasks like brushing his teeth, Hamilton decided to hand-draw a step-by-step guide on cards. Hamilton says that the cards became a go-to guide for her brother, providing him with the structure and confidence he needed to carry out
The Hidden Genius Project, a nonprofit for Black male youth in tech, is coming to the Formula 1 racetrack thanks to the Sponsor X initiative. McLaren Racing partner Smartsheet launched the Sponsor X initiative at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year. Now, for this weekend’s US Grand Prix, McLaren Racing partner Smartsheet is replacing its logo on the McLaren race cars and all marketing activities with The Hidden Genius Project’s logo. Smartsheet will also work with the nonprofit to bring tech education to local youth ahead of the racing event. What
How often do the words Disney World and Black tech appear in the same sentence? In celebration of its fourth annual conference, Blacks In Technology, LLC and the Blacks In Technology Foundation are inviting the Black tech community to Disney World. BITCon2022 (not to be confused with bitcoin) will see Black tech enthusiasts channel their inner kid while taking home useful gems and new connections. A Tech Conference for the Culture Industry giants like Google, Disney, and Spotify are sponsoring the three-day conference which will take place from October 26-28th. The convention
Kansas City recently mourned the death of Edward Chow, who died at the age of 83 due to lung cancer. For many, the Black army veteran turned tech entrepreneur is a pioneer; one of a few Black men working in the computer tech industry at his time. Who Is Edward Chow? Edward grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, during the 1930s. Born to a Black mother and Chinese father, Edward and his siblings were no strangers to racial discrimination After serving in the military as a machine account supervisor, where he
The Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) is launching a new AI tech platform that matches public policy corporations with CBCI-vetted job seekers. Founded in 2000, the CBCI is a nonprofit social welfare organization that aims to educate and empower the African American community around issues that impact it the most. The CBCI’s latest initiative, the Career Placement Initiative (CPI), aims to diversify hiring in the public policy space. The Career Placement Initiative So how does it work? Employers bulk upload communications, legal, public policy, and government relations job openings to the platform. The
The Lip Bar Inc., the holding company for the beauty brands The Lip Bar and Thread Beauty, has closed a new funding round. The $6.7 million round, led by Pendulum, will focus on expanding The Lip Bar and Thread Beauty’s distribution as well as incubating a third beauty brand. Endeavor and The Fearless Fund also contributed to the fund. Melissa Butler, the business’ founder and Chief Executive Officer, said the round came after years of consistent growth unencumbered by the pandemic. “Our lip sales were crazy during the pandemic—we sold
The world’s largest interviewing company, Karat, has announced that five of the world’s leading corporations have joined the Brilliant Black Minds program, which aims to double the number of Black software engineers in the US. Partners of Brilliance Organizations such as Prime Video, Citi, Duolingo, Indeed, and Flatiron Health have joined the movement to commit further to developing Black engineers. In addition to hiring Brilliant Black Minds program participants, these ‘Partners of Brilliance’ have committed to supporting aspiring software engineers from underrepresented backgrounds with workshops and learning opportunities. Brilliant Black Minds Program
National non-profit organization Black Economic Alliance Foundation has partnered with Deloitte to promote financial inclusion. What is financial inclusion? Financial inclusion allows people of color access to financial services and systems that will better enhance their economic status. Financial inclusion is the bridge between economic opportunities and the racial wealth gap. The more access underrepresented families have to financial services, the easier it will be to help close the racial wealth gap. Deloitte’s partnership with the Black Economic Alliance Foundation Deloitte has committed $10 million over the next five years
Soft drink company, Mountain Dew (MTN Dew), has expanded its commitment to Black entrepreneurship by creating a new Esports tournament that will see students compete for a $500,000 prize. Following MTN Dew’s ‘Real Change Opportunity Fund’ initiative in 2020, the soft drink company has joined forces with HBCU Esports League to reinforce their commitment to supporting the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. The tournament, launched last month, will run until October 28 and will be available for any gamers enrolled at an HBCU to register and join. Black representation in gaming The
