In the fall of 2020, I reached an almost five-year milestone by publishing my app, The Green Book Project, to the Apple App Store. The Green Book Project is a mobile app that helps folks from marginalized communities find inclusive businesses and avoid discrimination. It allows users to utilize a platform of crowdsourced reviews to identify safe locations, as well as places to steer clear from. Getting this app published was one of the proudest moments of my life. However, creating a mobile app is a massive undertaking that involves hours
Now, more than ever, mental health is making national headlines. Yet when it comes to treatment for mental illness, Black people are at a severe disadvantage. This past year alone, the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and fighting a system of oppression and racism has taken a significant toll on our mental health. However, due to the stigma in the community of seeking help, we aren’t supported in our struggles. When we seek help, it isn’t easy to find providers who understand us, trust us, and relate to our experience. There are
No, I didn’t join an ashram in India. When I was 17, the thought of postponing college for a gap year never crossed my mind. While it may have sounded nice to spend a year traveling, volunteering, and doing other activities to further “personal growth” — for financial and cultural reasons, it was neither a consideration nor a real option. And so, I went to college. After college, I started working a full-time job and did so for the next several years. In that time, I worked many a late-night;
As a Black professional, you need to weigh the job opportunity with the level of racism and discrimination you may encounter in a particular city or country. Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve been offered a great job, but you realize you’d have to move to a city with a largely racist population? Do you decide to go and suck it up as best possible, or do you decline the offer and stay where you are? This type of dilemma is common when you are a Black
Techish is back with a brand new episode! Abadesi and Michael discuss the #fufuchallenge taking over TikTok and how algorithms might encourage us to create more divisive content to increase engagement. (21:50) They also break down: Colin Kaepernick forms a SPAC (0:15) Tesla’s Bitcoin investment (5:55) The Robinhood lawsuits & GameStop updates (13:20) Mental health & social media (30:00) Extras: Techish on PatreonAdvertise with TechishPlease rate and review the Techish podcast Subscribe To The Techish Podcast On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, And Other Platforms.
In early June, I wrote to diversity professionals and others advancing workplace inclusion about corporate statements responding to the killing of George Floyd. I did this to discourage companies from releasing PR-type statements that were heavy on buzzwords, light on substance, and unlikely to disrupt racial injustice occurring within their reach. Instead, I wanted corporate leaders to examine practices within their organizations that adversely impact Black talent and use statements to convey how they would dismantle the internal structures and systems that allow these injustices to perpetuate in the workplace. Fast forward
This article is a thought piece on the political nature of Black women’s hair in the corporate workplace, and how the progressive tech industry is far from exempt. Written by self developer Mabel, follow her journey on her IG! Here’s a picture of me with braids from last year. The truth is, a lot of thought went into me getting them. “You should never wear braids to an interview; no one will take you seriously!” – My friend was right; society has taught us that to be deemed professional, we
Over the last two weeks, Black people globally have had to revisit the emotions that erupt when we consider how we are treated in society. We are currently juggling collective trauma while navigating our way through what we hope is a lasting revolution. There is little that can describe the universal, unanimous outcry of pain and grief that we are experiencing together. No, what the Black community is experiencing this week is not new. The grief, the pain, the anger, the cry for a mindset and systemic change – none
From the day I realized I was destined to be a coder, I knew I was going to be an underrepresented group in more ways than one. It started to hit me in the few classes I took throughout grade school, but I didn’t realize how much of a minority I was until college. I’m lucky that for the most part, I have been able to fit in with my other software engineering peers. But there is still a lot that I have realized about being the only woman of
As I sit here today writing this piece, the country burns as thousands of Black Americans (and our allies) are expressing their pain and mourning the loss of countless citizens — most recently George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. While citizens of all backgrounds are marching in almost every major city, I can’t help but be reminded that 99 years ago today, the Tulsa race massacre (also known as the Black Wall Street massacre) began. By its end, nearly 300 Americans were killed as white residents attacked black residents and
