Meta Chicago is reportedly set to launch software engineering courses to bring more Black people into tech. The underrepresentation of African Americans in tech has been an issue since the 1970s when the Bay Area became Silicon Valley. And while one can say it’s gotten better, there is still a way to go. In 2018, according to Silicon Valley Bank, only 1% of venture capital dollars went to Black start-up founders, and Black employees made up only 2.8% of Google’s technical roles and 4.8% of their entire workforce. More recently, Twitter reported
Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo is the first Nigerian female to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Qatar Airways, and she flew the Boeing 767 Aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. Sowemimo hails from Ogbomoso, in Oyo State Nigeria, and graduated from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. After her pilot training, she flew off to Florida in the United States for her standard pilot course. On finishing her training at the age of 21, Sowemimo returned to university in Nigeria to complete her education. Sowemimo joined Medview operations Abuja in 2013 till
Isaac Harvey was recently named Britain’s most influential disabled person on the Power 100 list, and there’s no doubt that he has – and continues – to inspire a generation. Harvey has no arms, a weak pelvis, and scoliosis (curvature of his spine) due to a condition called hypoplasia. He was fostered at two weeks old and later adopted by the same family at the age of five. Though he sometimes experienced discrimination, he never saw himself as different as he has “always just been doing me, and everyone’s different
Humane is hiring on Pocitjobs. Mark David Blake is a software engineer working to deliver on Humane’s promise of innovative technology. The 33-year-old, who attended an HBCU, joined the company last year during the pandemic. Despite only working there for less than a year, he says the company’s dedication to diversity, inclusion, and good work culture is like nothing he’s ever seen before. Blake’s journey isn’t your typical textbook pathway – after initially not wanting to go to college to initially struggling academically in college – his journey is one
Senior officials at Luke Air Force Base are investigating an incident where a member of the crew allegedly told another that he was not being considered for a position because “the Air Force is looking for somebody of white complexion.” This is according to a text exchange shared on the popular Facebook page Air Force amn/snco/nco. “We won’t be sending your name up for [redacted] at the squadron,” a White technical sergeant allegedly texted a Black senior airman at the 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron on Wednesday. When he asked for a
Black people have a significant legacy in the scientific and engineering fields. It’s important to remember and honor that legacy and highlight the brilliant work done by Black people – both past and present. Though this list is by no means complete, below are five scientists, engineers, and inventors whose work we all should know. Jerry Lawson – past The self-taught engineer helped create the Fairchild Channel F, the first home video game system that could play interchangeable games. Previously, video arcade machines played just a single game, but Lawson’s
Google has opened its first product development center in Africa. Located in Nairobi, the center is designed to build “transformative” products and services, company officials have said. It comes after the tech giant revealed plans to invest $1 billion over the next five years in October last year. The center is Google’s second major research and development investment in Africa after the tech giant set up an AI and research center in Ghana in 2019. The firm will reportedly hire more than 100 tech talent including software engineers, researchers, and
Njoku Emmanuel is somewhat obsessed with coding. After his father seized his laptop for reportedly “coding too much” and not focusing on his studies, he dropped out of school to focus on coding. Speaking in-depth about his experience, he said: “any time I was going to school, I was going to charge my laptop and code. I didn’t tell my parents. When they gave me money to buy textbooks, I used it to buy coding courses on Udemy.” His father somehow found out he has been missing classes and invited him
ChainIDE, a firm helping develop company MVPs, and Conflux, a software delivery service for engineers, have teamed up to launch ‘The Hydra Developer Bootcamp’ for Web3 developers in Africa. The bootcamp aims to provide cohort members with hands-on blockchain 101 training, insight into the African blockchain, crypto industry, and a unique outlook on the future prospects of the Metaverse and Web 3. More than 200 people have reportedly already signed up for the event, according to TechCabal, while the first two modules have already attracted more than 500 views in
Brazilian companies have started to explicitly seek out Black and Indigenous workers to diversify their ranks, a step to reverse the deep inequality that has racked the country since the area was first settled centuries ago. The country is LinkedIn’s third-largest market, after the United States and India, with 55 million users, or one in every four people in Brazil. So naturally, employers would advertise jobs there. But in February, a think tank in São Paulo was looking for a financial coordinator that would be willing to take on the
