Seeing a Black woman break into the tech industry is always an accomplishment to celebrate, but what makes the win even more major is how they lift up others along with them. In the age of social media, the underrepresented group is not only sharing their experiences in their fields but also using their platforms to create a domino effect of Black talent going from sending in their resumes to signing job offer letters. Here are 10 Black women tech influencers who are working with big names like Google, Meta, and Microsoft that are teaching the ins and outs of the industry to help bring more of the community on board.

In recent years, brilliant innovations in technology have occurred on account of diverse techies putting themselves in a position to bring their creative ideas to life. While there are many inventions that stem from people in STEM-focused fields, the reality is that these revolutionary technologies can come from any wide range of perspectives and people that come from all walks of life. Though Silicon Valley has been called out for its failure to diversify its workforces, Black and brown technicians and app developers around the world aren’t letting that stop them from creating their own seat at the table. Take for instance Apple’s recent efforts to boost diversity in tech as a result of its $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. These efforts include creating programs that aim to address issues of racial equity in education, employment and economic inequality. Moreover, bold initiatives like this have created opportunities for diverse, self-taught app developers to be...

Thanks to an emerging fund, Black entrepreneurs are finally getting the support they’ve been waiting on. Black Tech Nation — a multi-faceted tech organization — is described as building a “#DigitalWakanda through education, digital media, recruitment, and funding” for a family of “Black coders, innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, educators, and nerds,” according to the company’s website. In an interview with TechCrunch, Black Tech Nation general partner Kelauni Jasmyn declared the firm’s goal is to simply “get more Black people funded.” Jasmyn, alongside the rest of her team, has been working hard to make this a reality for the Pittsburgh-based organization through its newly-created $50 million first fund with the help of fellow GPs Sean Sebastian and David Motley. Super excited to be among the ranks of VCs purposefully putting #VentureCapital behind #BlackTech , Black-led startups, and entrepreneurs of color! @blacktechnation is more than a community…it's a #DigitalWakanda . Now...

In honor of Black History Month, we here at AfroTech, wish to recognize the efforts of Black scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs. Throughout history, Black American accomplishments have revolutionized not only our country but the world at large. While there are many more, here are 28 Black pioneers in science, technology, and business today you should know about: Asmau Ahmed, Founder of PlumPerfect     View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Next IT Girl (@thenextitgirl_) Asmau Ahmed is a Senior Strategist that has led corporate strategy and digital innovation for established and emergent organizations in a number of industries including financial services, and consumer retail.  She thrives on identifying and growing (digital) companies that have the power to transform the way everyday people do everyday things. With experience in both corporate and entrepreneurial leadership, she has honed her skills in assessing the business viability and risk profile and in...

Computer science often seems like a field open only to people who are fully dedicated to computing and mathematics. However, this could not be further from the truth. High-profile celebrities around the world have told their fans that they know how to code and that they also value learning to code . It’s not difficult to understand why these celebrities are interested in programming. After all, coding not only unlocks job opportunities—according to the non-profit Code.org , there are nearly 500,000 “[o]pen computing jobs” in the U.S. alone—but knowing how to code can help you solve problems more effectively. Here’s why these Black celebrities — that you may not have known were into coding — are learning the skill. Serena Williams Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Apartment List Serena Williams is a professional tennis player who has won 23 major singles titles throughout her career—the most won by any woman or man. Williams holds more Grand Slam titles than any other active player in...

My first time attending AfroTech was an amazing experience. I got to connect with so many people from all walks of life (I even made some friends from Canada!). My goal for attending was really to expand my network and experience an environment where I wasn’t the only Latino/Black in tech. Day 1  JFK -> SFO 6 hours. Real Intimate Setting; Jackie Bavaro on the right. The first event I attended was the Product Manager Chat with Jackie Bavaro, co-author of “Cracking the PM Interview” (FYI: she has another book on the way called “Cracking the PM Career”) hosted by my now good friend, Olumide Longe . As someone interested in becoming a product manager, I thought it should be a priority this weekend that I push my narrative and promote myself as someone in that space. We traversed many topics from the road to PM to how to handle interviews, what makes a good PM, KPIs, etc. After the session, I got to ask an extra question to Bavaro which was: “How do you balance the relationship between...