The second annual Black Tech Week runs from February 14-20 in Miami, Florida.
The event is a week of education, networking, and presentations from people of color to people of color active in the tech industry. Speakers include representatives from SnapChat, Rose Digital, Silicon Valley Bank and many more.
Hip Hop will be heavily represented during this upcoming Tech Week, including Trick Daddy and Ted Lucas of Slip N Slide Records slated as guest speakers plus a panel titled “Technology in Hip Hop Music.”
The technology sector is often under a microscope due to the lack of diversity among the employees. Silicon Valley, the heart of the tech boom, has been dealing with the issue for years. In recent years, the pressure increased on those companies to diversify their ranks. There have been efforts by from people like the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton and others to address and rectify the problem. In addition, groups like Black Girls Code are pushing for more children of color to become familiar with coding and push them into the tech industry.
The goals of the founders of Black Tech Week are to increase the number of startup founders, technology executives and engineers of color, and change the narrative and replace it with creativity, innovation, and technology to change the direction of the community.
