These days, most everyone knows that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) are not just the future, they are arguably the most important sectors driving economic growth and academic tracks today. Professionally, STEM and STEAM are natural segues into the tech industry. With concerns around digital divides and achievement gaps, it is understandable that leaders in the Black community are pushing even harder to ensure that youth and adults who are making career pivots have access to opportunity. More importantly, pointing to representation in the tech field gives prospective employees and students choosing academic paths a relatable and attainable goal. Women in tech have played a crucial role from the beginning, as exemplified by figures like Katherine Johnson of “Hidden Figures.” Yet, despite their significant contributions, women’s roles in tech and science-backed fields were soon eclipsed by...

Pinterest is investing in the future of Black tech! Under the mission of increasing diverse representation across the workforce, the platform has teamed up with dev/color — an accelerator for advancing Black technologists — for a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership, according to a blog post. “At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that mission starts with building a workforce that is representative of the world we live in and where everyone feels a sense of belonging,” the blog post writes. “We believe that diverse and inclusive teams build better products and are essential to growth and innovation. That is why we are specifically making a strategic investment in Black tech talent.” Pinterest and dev/color will work together to empower Black engineers and leaders through advancing their careers and recruiting Black technologists at all levels and specialties. Additionally, they aim to spur relationships,...

When looking for a job, one of the critical things prospective employees consider is the benefits. Beyond healthcare, people hold stock options and spending accounts in high regard when choosing employment. Take, for example, the folks at Global Data Consortium.

Earlier last week, the unprecedented announcement of Black Girls Code CEO and founder Kimberly Bryant being removed as the nonprofit’s head came in as a shock to the tech community. Kimberly Bryant alerted the public about the breaking news with a “press release” on Twitter. “Press release: So it’s 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification,” Bryant wrote via Twitter. Press release: so it’s 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification. VC: @BlackGirlsCode — kimberlybryant.eth (@6Gems) December 21, 2021 The tweet caused an uproar from her counterparts and followers who wanted to learn more details of the indefinite suspension and how to support Bryant. Recently, Bryant shared a statement with TechCrunch to further clear the air.

When the Forbes 30 Under 30 list releases each year, it’s a time to give young leaders and innovators their flowers. The annual list also serves as a moment for readers to praise honorees, discover new talent, and be inspired to excel within their own endeavors. Forbes’ Black honorees in categories such as science, technology, healthcare , and gaming , in particular, are ones to revel on as the Black community is underrepresented within these spaces and deserves proper recognition. Take a look at this year’s Black honorees that are breaking barriers in their respective fields. Editorial Note: This piece has been updated to reflect additional honorees on Dec. 6, 2021.

In honor of International Women’s Day, we here at AfroTech thought it was only fitting to recognize the work of 31 Black women in tech. Too often, Black women’s accomplishments, especially in the technology field, are overlooked or overshadowed. We encourage you not only to check out these women’s profiles and businesses but also to help shine a light on other Black women in tech this month and throughout the rest of the year.   Check out the list of 31 Black women in the tech sector below: Asmau Ahmed, CEO of Plum Perfect, an app that helps women find beauty products in line with their skin tone Sheena Allen, Founder and CEO of CapWay, which works to service the underbanked Shellye Archambeau, Current Board member of numerous tech companies, former President of Blockbuster.com, and CEO of MetricStream Angela Benton, Founder and CEO of Streamlytics, which helps make transparent what users are consuming on streaming services Jean Brownhill, Founder and CEO of Sweeten, which helps to...

As more economic and diverse professional opportunities for African-Americans present themselves in regions other than Silicon Valley, Black entrepreneurs are beginning to look into migrating down South to start their businesses. Similar to Atlanta, which has become a new hub for Black techies, Dallas is developing into a strong corporate business and philanthropic sector for Black entrepreneurs. Among those businesses in Dallas looking to lead the charge as the country’s emerging cultural hub is a startup accelerator and impact-first fund Impact Ventures . Designed with a vision of collaboration and entrepreneurship, Impact Ventures believes that while talent knows no geographic bounds, access and opportunity do. “Impact Ventures has worked strategically to build more equitable and inclusive local economies through its culturally responsive business support structure focused on stimulating job growth and driving equity within the Dallas economy,” said founder and Chief Executive...

Meet Emmanuella Mayak i, the future of the tech industry. According to Face 2 Face Africa, when Mayaki was just 10-years-old, the coding and programming genius was appointed by the Southfields Primary School located in Coventry, England as an after school code club teacher. Her position at the Southfields Primary School involved her teaching HTML and CSS to her peers and sharing her tech knowledge with the code club. Mayaki’s journey in the tech industry started when she was just 7-years-old . In 2016, she received a diploma in Desktop Publishing, Advanced Excel, CorelDraw, Adobe Page Maker, and Advanced PowerPoint. Her list of accomplishments and qualifications doesn’t stop there. In 2018, Mayaki created her own app and designed her own site after enrolling at Tech24 to study Mobile App Development. It’s no secret that the future is bright for Mayaki as she has dreams of becoming an engineer. “I want to become a machine learning engineer because I have experience in programming and...