Celebrating Black History Month
Black leaders are essential in tech, education, and every industry beyond.
Image features Katherine Johnson, Evelyn Boyd Granville, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Kimberly Bryant - just a few of many Black innovators in technology. Take the time to research their stories this month. (Images courtesy of NASA, Appalachian State University, and Flickr)
Black leaders are essential in tech, education, and every industry beyond. Their perspectives and contributions are necessary to create classrooms, technologies, and communities that consider, empower, and unlock the potential of all humans.
Here at Turing, our mission is to do just that, unlock human potential by training a diverse and inclusive student body to succeed in fulfilling technical careers. We know that the best technology is created when the perspectives and identities of the people building it are diverse. But, stating that as our mission and opening our doors to all people who want to learn to code is not enough.
As a PWI, (predominantly white institution) we must create inclusive and respectful spaces for learning, and educate our majority white student body and alumni network on the ways they can interrogate their own identities, support their Black classmates and colleagues, and elevate Black contributions to the tech industry.
We will continue to share more about what that looks like throughout the coming weeks on our Perspectives blog and social channels, but in the meantime, we encourage you to peruse this list of reading suggestions and actions you can take to celebrate Black History Month:
One action Turing School will take this month is giving our support to an organization that is devoted to showing the world that Black girls can code and do so much more, Black Girls CODE. During Black History Month, we will match any donations to this organization from members of our community (up to $1000). To make sure your donation is matched, tag us in a screenshot on Instagram or Twitter and encourage your networks to contribute as well!
Learn more about Black innovators and leaders
- 7 Black Pioneers in Computer Science
- 17 Most Prominent Black Tech Experts from History and Today
- code.org Black History Month initiatives
Dig deeper into how to disrupt the status quo in tech
- Listen to an episode of Kim Crayton’s #causeascene podcast (and share the information with others!)
Read books that center joy in that identity’s experience
- Black Futures edited by Kimberly Drew & Jenna Wortham
- 11 Fiction Books About Black Joy from Refinery 29
Participate in digital programming
- Events from the National Museum of African American History & Culture
- Events from the Association of the Study of African American Lives & History
- 28 Days of Black History Virtual Exhibition
- Google Arts & Culture Black History & Culture Exhibition
Support Black owned businesses
- Go Fund Me: Support Black Owned Businesses (search for businesses in your area!)
- Brava (search for Black-owned restaurants in your area)
Donate to organizations/individuals