This article was first published by Zaria Gunn on Medium. As a black female futurist and artist, I spent time working in VR at Google’s HQ in Mountain View. My team, Spotlight Stories was a part of Google’s R&D lab for hardware called A.T.A.P. (Advanced Technologies and Projects) though the workplace had international diversity, the African American woman population was just me. And though I’ve always wanted to be the first at something, I had never imagined that I would’ve been the first black woman in ATAP eight years after
When it comes to job interviews, everyone wants to put their best foot forward. But Black, Hispanic, and younger Americans feel the need to go the extra mile to impress potential employers, according to a study by the American Staffing Association conducted by The Harris Poll. The study found that while the majority of Americans prefer in-person interviews, white Americans (74%) were more likely to opt for in-person interviews over virtual or audio-only formats than Hispanic (67%) and Black (65%) Americans. Hispanic and Black Americans are also more likely to feel
Tech giant Meta is being sued by content moderators in Kenya, again. On Monday, 43 content moderators filed a lawsuit accusing Facebook’s parent company and two subcontractors, Sama and Majorel of ‘unlawful redundancy’ and discriminatory hiring practices. Meta had contracted Kenya-based firm Sama to moderate Facebook content in eastern and southern Africa. However, Sama closed its content moderation arm in January and announced it would be laying off 260 content moderators when its contract with Meta ends on March 31. The suit claims that redundancy notices were not issued and that Meta and Sama
Inclusive early-stage venture firm Ada Ventures‘ second cohort of its operator angel program is committing £1 million ($1.2 million) to diverse angel investors. Ada Ventures selected 20 specialist operators and founders from underrepresented backgrounds across the UK, providing them with up to £50,000 ($61,000) each to invest. The angels come from sectors across climate, software development, economic empowerment, product, and healthcare & aging. Blind scoring process The cohort was selected through an open application process and scored blindly to reduce bias. The result is one of the most diverse angel cohorts
For Black and Latino entrepreneurs, there’s only one direction to go — forward. This is the message driving Square‘s small business accelerator program for Black and Latino entrepreneurs, FORWARD. The accelerator, launched in partnership with Social Change Fund United (SCFU), 1863 Ventures, and American Express, aims to provide Black and Latino entrepreneurs with the education, mentorship, coaching, and capital needed for their businesses to thrive. Black and Latino Americans are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. In 2022, Black and Latino Americans filed more than 5 million new business applications, more than any other group.
The Biden-Harris administration has awarded Black queer-led research collaborative Black Brilliance Research (BBR) a $3 million grant to promote digital equity and inclusion. The organization was awarded a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Internet for All commitment to improving access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet. Black Brilliance Research (BBR) is a Black queer-led research collaborative dedicated to changing the material conditions of the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. This grant will feature the work of teams in Tacoma
When Olivia Hylton graduated from the University of Cambridge, she found herself struggling to make friends as an adult in a post-pandemic world. The 26-year-old spoke to POCIT about creating a meet-up app to empower Black women to make friends anywhere they go. Sistren is a digital platform that empowers users to make connections based on interests and proximity, with users able to create a profile, host events, and reach out to others that are local to them via the user directory. Hylton, who had never considered becoming an entrepreneur
Several Black-led venture capital firms have written an open letter in response to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) op-ed which suggests Silicon Valley Bank’s diversity focus contributed to its collapse. Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the WSJ published an opinion piece by Kessler in which he stated: “I’m not saying 12 white men would have avoided this mess, but the company may have been distracted by diversity demands.” Black Women in Venture Capital, BLCK VC, 1863 Ventures, and Living Cities wrote an open letter to the Wall Street Journal editors and
It appears that TikTok US’s former head of product, has said the quiet part out loud. According to Sean Kim, TikTok’s Creator Fund isn’t concerned with helping creators monetize their content. In 2020, TikTok announced the launch of a $200 million creator fund to help US creators monetize. They later increased this fund to $2 billion. In Europe, the company announced a $70 million fund that was expected to rise to $300 million within three years. TikTok agreed to pay fund participants on a sliding scale based on how well their videos
Leading cybersecurity and digital skills training company ThriveDX has partnered with the OneTen coalition to help Black talent secure tech and cybersecurity jobs – without needing college degrees. In 2020, America’s leading CEOs, companies, and talent developers banded together to form a coalition dedicated to upskilling, hiring, and promoting one million Black individuals who do not have four-year degrees. OneTen’s growing portfolio of 70+ partners includes educators, trainers, and providing Black people with the skills needed to secure “family-sustaining” jobs across the US. The coalition reports that they have helped more than 65,000 people secure top
