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Black Girls Code remains committed to its mission to empower the next generation of tech leaders. The nonprofit, currently led by Cristina Mancini, is launching its 2026 summer camp program to empower and provide opportunities for girls and women in game development and AI, according to a press release. These efforts are in partnership with Endless Access, a nonprofit game-making studio and learning hub that provides tools and mentorship to help young creators build their own video games, according to its website. Participants in the camp will learn how art, sound, storytelling, and mechanics are used to create engaging player experiences. Students will then design their own game assets — including sound effects, narrative elements, skill trees, and gameplay loops — using industry tools, notes the press release. The program will integrate a leadership development curriculum in partnership with Lean In Girls. In alignment with the camp’s theme “She Won’t Just Play the Game. She’ll...
The AFROTECH™ 2024 Conference took Houston, TX, by storm from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17, uniting Black innovators worldwide to connect, discuss trends, and network with industry leaders and recruiters. A highlight of the conference was the Women in Tech Luncheon, presented by Yahoo. This event brought together an inspiring group of pioneering Black women in technology for an empowering and supportive celebration. Celebrity wellness and lifestyle expert and birth doula Latham Thomas, known as Glow Maven, opened the luncheon with welcoming remarks. She has been recognized as one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100 and named one of Mindbodygreen’s “Top 100 Women to Watch in Wellness,” according to her Instagram profile. Notable speakers included Giselle Battley, head of global emerging careers and learning & development at Yahoo. According to her LinkedIn profile, Battley was recognized as one of Women We Admire’s Top 50 Women in Business for 2024. The luncheon opened the door for Black women...
By age 6, children already begin to associate boys with greater aptitude in STEM fields, including computer science and engineering, compared to girls. Such beliefs among girls tend to become deeply ingrained over time. The 74 reported these reports stem from an analysis conducted by the American Institutes for Research, released Monday. This comprehensive review examined nearly 100 studies across 33 countries. David Miller, the lead author and a senior researcher who launched the project five years ago, emphasized that without efforts to address such perceptions, girls may turn away from “fast-growing tech fields like artificial intelligence .” In elementary school, girls comprise about half of the students enrolled in foundational computer science courses. However, the participation drops to 44% in middle school and decreases to 33% in high school, according to The 74. Miller noted that these findings have significant implications for girls’ decisions regarding high school course...
Black Girls Code (BGC) is living true to its name. The organization exists to ensure at least 1 million girls of color will establish a presence in the tech industry by 2040 by partnering with schools, individuals who share its mission, and other organizations, a press release mentions. Among its efforts to bolster career paths in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) is providing computer programming education. In October 2023, the organization hired former Salesforce executive Cristina Jones as its CEO. Jones’ experience also includes having worked at Twentieth Century Fox, where she was able to gain further experience within the entertainment sector and technology. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Black Girls Code (@blackgirlscode) Now, in her latest role, the focus is on workforce development and fostering industry partnerships that will help to build the skills of its students and forge career pathways, as previously reported by...
Black Girls Code is back with another initiative to educate young Black girls about coding. According to an April 2024 press release, nonprofit Black Girls Code teamed up with GoldieBlox, a STEM-focused children’s multimedia company, for Code Along Jr. The free video-based coding academy is based on Code Along — a Black Girls Code coding program — and is for girls who are ages 7 to 10. Launched live in Los Angeles, CA , Kalani Jewel, a child actress, hosted the coding academy’s live event, the press release details. “Together, we can change the face of technology,” Black Girls Code CEO Cristina Jones shared in a statement. “Kalani, as a vibrant and energetic 12-year-old, is the perfect host for Code Along Jr. She shows girls that tech is fun, not scary. She reaches them at their level and shows them that they can do anything they want. This is so important because tech is at the center of everything we do, and Black girls absolutely have a lot to offer as entrepreneurs, executives,...
Becoming something you’ve never first learned about is nearly impossible. Jamila Lindo picked up on this when she noticed that the young girls she tutored were taken aback that she went to college to be a civil engineer. The group of middle and high schoolers wasn’t exposed to the different careers in STEM. From there, the Norwalk resident chose to take action in enacting change.
As Kimberly Bryant prepares for life after Black Girls Code (BGC), the founder of the STEM program that champions young Black and brown girls sat down with AfroTech to discuss her side of the story. “I think it’s important for us to own our own stories as Black people and how we build,” said Bryant in an exclusive interview. “It’s not lost on me the fact that the organization that I founded and the organizational leadership that dismissed me from the organization that I created is utilizing a fully white PR firm, white law firm to take down, if you will, another Black woman as a founder.” She further explained how this has caused her a different type of pain as Bryant initially launched BGC out of love for her daughter and other Black and brown girls in early 2011. “This really was a project built from love and my desire to make a better pathway for all Black girls to be innovators and creators because I knew how difficult the path was for me as a Black woman in a STEM field that...
Last Friday, the Black Girls Code (BGC) board announced that founder and CEO Kimberly Bryant has officially been removed from her position as a leader and board member of the organization, according to Insider. In addition, the outlet reports that she has taken legal action against the nonprofit and three board members. As previously reported by AfroTech, last December, Bryant was accused of possessing a leadership style that was threatening and borderline abusive. An investigation into the matter was launched after allegations were brought forth by former employees and volunteers. Bryant has repeatedly denied the claims made against her and has used social media to keep those following her journey in the loop. According to a spokesperson for BGC, “The Board believes the decision to remove Ms. Bryant as CEO and as a board member is in the best interests of the organization, the girls it serves, its employees, and its donors. BGC has been focusing its efforts on moving forward and...