This February, NCWIT is honored to celebrate Black History Month and amplify Black-founded and -serving organizations combating inequity in computing and creating opportunities for Black girls, women, and non-binary people in STEM. It’s vital to highlight these contributions, as DEI isn’t just the Black community’s responsibility — it’s the responsibility of the entire STEM industry to not only broaden participation in computing, but to also ensure a thriving and sustainable workforce, as there are expected to be 4.2 million computing-related job openings in the U.S. by 2031.
According to the 2016 Computing and Intersectionality Report, the most recent data reveals a clear disparity in the number of computer science degrees conferred to Black Americans in the the US:
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- 3.6% of undergraduate degrees
- 1.6% of masters degrees
- 1.2% of doctoral degrees
Below, find a list of organizations and initiatives that you can support this month and beyond!
Black Girls Code
Black Girls Code, a K-12 Alliance Partner, supports Black girls and gender nonconforming youth with computer programming education skills, training, and resources to nurture their careers in tech and to help launch their leadership potential. Black Girls Code is currently hosting a ‘Build a Beat’ challenge where youth ages 13-18 can code their own song for a chance to meet award-winning musician Ciara.
blackcomputeHER
blackcomputerHER (pronounced ‘Black computer’) provides access to opportunity, education and training, executive thought leadership, as well as workforce development to support computing and tech education for Black women and girls. blackcomputerHER is also the creator of CiteHER, a database that encourages citations of Black women in computing.
The Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences (iAAMCS)
iAAMCS (pronounced ‘I am CS’) is a NCWIT Affinity Alliance partner that provides opportunities for hands-on computing research practice, robotics competitions, and methodological trainings to significantly increase the number of Black/African Americans pursuing and completing computing doctoral degrees via a national mentoring model.
NCWIT’s Aspirations in Computing (AiC) program has teamed up with iAAMCS for a Paired Mentoring Program to help support and diversify the next computing generation. If you are a computing faculty member, graduate student, or tech professional, consider applying to become a mentor for 2024 — a prospective mentee would benefit from your insight, advice, and guidance!
The Center for Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology (CMD-IT)
CMD-IT, a NCWIT Affinity Alliance partner, is committed to fully engaging minorities and people with disabilities in computing and information technology through a united voice, resources, leadership initiatives, and national-scale projects. NCWIT and program representatives attend CMD-IT’s flagship conference, the Richard Tapia conference, annually. In 2024, the conference will be held in San Diego, California.
Black Women in Computing (BWiC)
Black Women in Computing was launched in 2011 with the assistance of the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology and aims to provide online support and resources to increase the number of Black women in computing-related fields.
Black-Liberation.Tech
Black-Liberation.Tech, created by Dr. Renée D. Jordan at iAAMCS, is an open educational resource that uses stories to teach Black and Afro-Latina youth and their parents or guardians about technology.
Black Nerds Create
Black Nerds Create (formerly Black Girls Create) is a collective that advocates for and contributes toward representation in media for Black and systematically marginalized people via critical, creative, and fun content.
Modern Figures Podcast
Modern Figures is a conversational-style podcast that elevates the voices of Black women and scholars in computing. This podcast is presented by iAAMCS and the Computing Research Association—Committee on Widening Participation (CRA-WP), in collaboration with NCWIT. As a response to the Hidden Figures movie, it was created to inspire students with representation of Black women in computing but is designed for all, regardless of computing and technology experience. Listen to all five seasons of the podcast on their site or on Apple and Google podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud! Plus, learn even more about the Modern Figures podcast and their hosts by watching their 2023 NCWIT Conversations for Change here.
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