How would you inspire your tech-minded daughter who wants to work in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)? If you’re Kimberly Bryant, you build an organization to help make it happen.
Bryant had already notched a successful 25-year career in the biotech industry. But after being shocked by the lack of diversity in her daughter Kai’s game development camp, she realized that not much had changed since she started out in tech. As one of very few black women, Bryant recalls feeling isolated while pursuing her own education. “That’s when the issues came together personally and professionally,” Bryant told Tech Republic. “I didn’t want [Kia] to be unmotivated and…feel like she couldn’t learn these skills or thrive because of the attention she got in class.”
In 2011 Bryant founded Black Girls Code, a nonprofit organization devoted to training the next generation of black female tech talent. At Black Girls Code, girls as young as seven from underrepresented communities learn STEM skills like robotics, game design and programming languages. The goal: to train 1 million girls by 2040.
Earlier this year, Black Girls Code partnered with 20th Century Fox to host 11 screenings around the country of Hidden Figures, the critically-acclaimed blockbuster about the African-American female mathematicians who helped launch the nation’s first space mission. “By seeing the story of these great women of NASA on the big screen, our girls can see themselves as the future tech leaders and innovators of today and tomorrow,” Bryant said.
To learn more, visit blackgirlscode.com and follow @BlackGirlsCode on Twitter, and to donate to the organization, click here.
