We Love: Black Girls Code, Inspiring Young Black Girls to Pursue Technology

Over the weekend, I watched Melissa Harris-Perry’s MSNBC show and learned of the amazing group, Black Girls Code, a California-based non-profit aiming to inspire black girls to pursue technology.

Founded by tech enthusiast Kimberly Bryant, Black Girls Code’s mission is simple, yet necessary: “To increase the number of women of color in digital careers by empowering girls of color” to pursue STEM careers.

After pursuing her studies in Electrical Engineering and seeing a lack of African-American women in her classes and in the workplace, Bryant says she founded Black Girls Code to encourage young girls to consider these fields.

She explains:

…as I pursued my studies, feeling culturally isolated: few of my classmates looked like me. While we shared similar aspirations and many good times, there’s much to be said for making any challenging journey with people of the same cultural background.

Much has changed since my college days, but there’s still a dearth of African-American women in science, technology, engineering and math professions, an absence that cannot be explained by, say, a lack of interest in these fields. Lack of access and lack of exposure to STEM topics are the likelier culprits. 

Black Girls Code is based in Oakland, but this summer the organization is offering coding workshops and tech classes for young girls across the country in Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York.

Learn more about Black Girls Code and their summer workshops on their website.