Coding school, Holberton Tulsa, has partnered with non-profit organization Urban Coders Guild to launch the Black Futures Hackathon. Hackathons are social coding event that brings computer enthusiasts together. The event – usually hosted by a tech organization – plays a massive role in bringing together the tech community to help solve the most technical problems. To celebrate Black history, students and families will have the opportunity to learn and honor Black tech history-makers. In addition, students will have 12 hours to build and code their robots through various challenges. “We’re excited to host
Following the box-office success of Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Disney is donating $1 million to nonprofits providing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and arts education for young people from historically underrepresented communities. The organizations benefiting from this funding include Girls Who Code, Ghetto Film School, The Hidden Genius Project, and DonorsChoose in the US. Through this initiative, Disney hopes Black youth will feel more empowered and inspired to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors. “From its historic casting to advanced technology to culturally relevant storytelling, Black
Southwest Airlines has announced a partnership with Paul Quinn College to become a member of the school’s celebrated Urban Work College Program. Paul Quinn College is the first minority-serving work college in America. The College proudly educates students of all races and socio-economic classes. Besides investing in the future of their students, the establishment is on a mission to provide quality, faith-based education to students to promote academic, social, and Christian development. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in many employees canceling their internships or making them virtual, reducing access to employment
Elijah Muhammad Jr has officially made history as the youngest Black college student in Oklahoma after enrolling in three courses at Oklahoma City Community College as a freshman. According to KFOR News, Muhammed Jr. isn’t the only person in his family beating records. His older sister, Shania Muhammad, also made history this year as the youngest to graduate from college with two associate degrees from Langston University and Oklahoma City College. Elijah Muhammad Sr, the siblings’ father, revealed that Muhammed used his sister’s success to help motivate him to excel further in his
Technology giant, Cisco, has made a $5 million commitment to the Black Economic Alliance (BEA) to support the next generation of Black entrepreneurs at HBCUs in the Atlanta area. Approximately $3 million will go towards expanding the Center for Black Entrepreneurship‘s (CBE) programming at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges, as well as developing graduate programming at Clark Atlanta University. An additional $1 million will provide high-quality products and services to the three institutions, which will “will help close the racial technology gap.” A further $1 million will be donated to the
Are companies sticking to their BLM promises? In the wake of George Floyd’s death, many organizations made public pledges to support the anti-racism movement and end systemic racism by committing to workplace diversity. However, how much progress has been made as we look back? Tech giants Google and IBM have decided to reverse the criteria that ensured a diverse range of students would be nominated for their doctoral fellowship programs. Initially, if a school nominated more than two students for Google’s fellowship, the third and fourth students should come from
Investment banking giant, Goldman Sachs, has taken a massive step toward bridging the racial tech gap by investing $2.25 million in Black and Latinx students. By becoming a premier sponsor of the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Tech Developer, the investment company will provide Black and Latinx computer majors with the skills, coaching, and experience needed to become strong candidates in the ever-evolving tech industry. “Our goal is to ensure students have the tools they need to land top tech roles upon graduation,” said Julian Johnson, Executive Vice President, SEO.
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is the first HBCU to embark on new research programs in partnership with NASA. WSSU’s Astrobotany Lab has signed a four-year agreement with NASA to research food development with a team of aspiring scientists. The lab which is filled with all the materials needed to grow plants, fruits, and vegetables, uses synthetic dirt to figure out how to grow food in Mars. The program is led by Professor Dr. Rafael Loueiro leads and aims to allow students to see the fascinating world of plants as well as the study
Clark Atlanta University has received nearly $10 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help more underrepresented people get data science credentials. The extra funding, which aims to help diversify the data science sector, is the first time any HBCU has received nearly $10 million from an NSF initiative. NSF’s donation marks a new era for HBCUs and equally marks their commitment to providing more Black people with the chance to succeed. A recent NSF report has revealed only 5.56% of computer/information scientists in 2019 were Black or African American. Additionally,
LA-based tech non-profit, Minor-IT has expanded its I.T. training services to help African American and minority youths hoping to succeed in the I.T. industry. Minor-IT, founded in 2019 by Stephen Jones, works to enable minority youth to help them pursue I.T. careers through educational experience, peer-to-peer learning, and networking. They offer guidance and mentoring to help students with the tools needed to achieve unlimited career success. They also sponsor counsel and network with children and teens to help facilitate change in an underrepresented industry. “For me, breaking into I.T., getting
