We all know the importance of connecting with like-minded folks, and conferences are a key way to do just that with professionals in your industry. In particular, conferences for people of color in tech provide a safe space for professionals to network, grow in their careers, and learn from industry leaders and executives who understand their unique challenges and opportunities. It also allows Black and Latine professionals to build their professional brand and increase visibility within their chosen industry. Getting past the cost barrier People often cite cost as one
Spill, a new social platform, has recently launched in beta on iOS and has quickly gained popularity within the Black community. Its surge in users can be attributed in part to Elon Musk’s announcement to limit the number of daily tweets visible on Twitter as well as several technical mishaps in recent months. What is Spill? The platform is invite-only while in beta and has been described as a visual-first, multimedia microblogging app with an interface similar to Tumblr. The app has a live news feed and allows people to
Squire, the Black-owned all-in-one barbershop management platform, has surpassed $1 billion in payments processed, according to co-founder Songe LaRon. “It took two years to reach our first $1 million, 5.5 years to $100 million, and now we surpassed $1 billion,” said LaRon. “Every dollar reflects the hard work of our team and the dedication of the barbers we serve, and I’m deeply grateful to every shop owner, barber, and team member who’s been part of this journey.” What is Squire? Founded in 2015 by Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant, the
The regulation and ethics of AI image generators have been a topic of conversation for several years, with EU lawmakers considering proposals for safeguards to address some of the issues. In March, more than 31,000 people signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause in AI research and development to answer questions about regulation and ethics. Recently, the free-to-use graphic design tool Canva came under fire after DEI Thought Partner Adriele Parker prompted its text-to-image app to generate a Black woman with Bantu knots. An error appeared and told
STEMBoard’s joint venture, Exacta Solutions, has been awarded a $947 million contract designed to provide support to National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s total lifecycle acquisition management, strategic financial management and strategic business management activities. Founded by former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, STEMBoard is an award-winning DC-based tech powerhouse specializing in professional advisory services for elite organizations in the US government. “This remarkable achievement is a testament to the innovative spirit, expertise, and dedication of our team at STEMBoard, as well as the outstanding capabilities of our esteemed partners,” Bowe commented on
Black Tech Week, an inclusive tech conference focused on empowering entrepreneurs of color, is set to return to Cincinnati from July 18–20. “There isn’t a single DEI talk at Black Tech Week. That’s by design,” Brian Brackeen shared on Twitter. “‘No DEI talks’ are something that we are proud of.” Brian Brackeen is the founder of facial recognition software company Kairos and managing partner at Cincinnati-based venture capital fund Lightship Capital, which invests in companies led by underepresented founders. He is also the organizer of Black Tech Week. “Black Tech
Black women have long faced hair discrimination in the workplace, from hiring practices to daily interactions. The 2023 CROWN Workplace Research study found that : Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional More than half of Black women felt the need to wear straight hair for job interviews 1 in 5 Black women aged 25-34 had been sent home from work because of their hair 1 in 4 Black women believe they were denied a job because of their hair People with more tightly coiled hair
34-year-old Jamira Burley, a Strategic Initiatives Lead at Apple, has come up with a truly inventive way to navigate her career. For the past ten years, Burley has been operating with a secret weapon—a fictional personal assistant named Matt. Creating Matt Burley told the Business Insider that it all started when she received an email assuming that a male assistant managed her contact email. But, instead of correcting the assumption, she decided to roll with it and embraced the persona of Matt. “Having “Matt” on my side — a person
More and more prominent tech figures are voicing concerns about superintelligent AI and risks to the future of humanity. But as leading AI ethicist Timnit Gebru and researcher Émile P Torres point out, these ideologies have deeply racist foundations. TESCREAL “So another “godfather” of AI, Turing Award Winner Yoshua Bengio has decided to FULLY align himself with the #TESCREAL bundle, writing about “rogue AI” and prominently citing people like Nick Bostrom,” tweeted Gebru, founder of the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR). TESCREAL, coined by Émile Torres and Gebru, stands for Transhumanism, Extropianism,
Uber’s Chief DEI Officer Bo Young Lee has been placed on a leave of absence following employee complaints about “Don’t Call Me Karen” events which aimed to explore the “spectrum of the American white woman’s experience.” Concerns raised by Black and Hispanic employees prompted Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Chief People Officer Nikki Krishnamurthy to request Lee’s temporary step back while they assess the situation. “We have heard that many of you are in pain and upset by yesterday’s Moving Forward session,” they wrote in an email seen by The
