Founder of Black Girls Code; Kimberly Bryant

Mon, 02/08/2021 - 09:09
by Dawayne Eason, CPCU

Dawayne Eason, CPCU

February 5, 2021

Founder of Black Girls Code; Kimberly Bryant

Kimberly Bryant is an electrical engineer from Memphis, earning her engineering degree from Vanderbilt University.  During her time in college the differences in the classroom continued to be apparent.  It would be fair to state that the experience evolved her beyond being an electrical engineer to also becoming a champion for diversity and inclusion for black women in the technology sector.  Less than 0.5 percent of leadership roles in technology are held by black women and in women-led small technology businesses only 4 percent of the workforce are black women.

In 2011, Bryant created a six-week coding curriculum for girls of color, Black Girls Code.  The goal of the organization is to increase the volume of women of color as leaders in all STEM fields and within their communities.  In January 2012, ThoughtWorks invested in Bryant’s effort and gave her access to space and resources across the country, as well as in Johannesburg, South Africa.  As the operation has transformed to include Chapters the growth continues, some Chapters have up to 1,000 students each year.

Continuing education is important in every element of our society and leaders like Kimberly Bryant are doing a great service to the community and the world by creating these opportunities.  The hope is that the success for education, inclusion and diversity will continue to expand.  If you want to learn more about the work of Kimberly Bryant please check some of the resource links below.

RESOURCES

https://www.blackgirlscode.com/

https://www.nbcnews.com/know-your-value/feature/how-black-girls-code-transformed-basement-experiment-international-movement-ncna1103431

https://www.tynker.com/blog/articles/ideas-and-tips/kimberly-bryant-agent-for-change-bringing-diversity-to-the-tech-industry/

https://www.ustelecom.org/kimberly-bryant-empower-inspire-elevate/

 


Comments (0)