Coding classes are becoming more popular as organizations like Girls Who Code and Black Girls Code gain traction and more major tech companies offer programs to encourage computer science involvement.
Cabral Clements wants to start teaching foundational concepts of coding through his children’s book ABCode. Clements teamed up with artist Alannah Vincent to create a character called “Brainy” and other illustrations featured throughout ABCode.
Clements was inspired to write ABCode after thinking that the children’s books he often read to his niece and nephew were not substantial enough.
“I hope the book will spark something in [kids’] imaginations to discover more as they grow,” Clements said. “There is an apparent disconnect between access to technology and technology courses in communities of color. This is why it’s my mission to get this ABCode book funded.”
In 2015, Clements was named as one of HBCU Buzz’s Top 30 Under 30 for creating Campus Bubble, a social media platform for students at his alma mater Morehouse College. Campus Bubble eventually expanded to 70 other institutions nationwide.
Clements has always combined his love for technology and storytelling.
“I’ve always been curious about how we use technology to connect to each other and to create,” Clements said. “I’m looking at tech through a lens of how it helps me tell better stories and connect to worlds outside of our immediate scope.”
Even before attending Morehouse, he developed video content for HP and Toyota, spent time working audience and multi-platform technology for CNN’s, and worked with Atlanta-based film company Glass House Pictures/ Class Clown Films.
Clements recently created a KickStarter campaign in hopes of raising $15,000 to produce 1,500 copies of ABCode. The campaign has currently raised nearly 10 percent of its goal and donors can receive an ABCode e-book, coloring pages, and stickers.
