Kimberly Bryant, Founder of Black Girls Code, explains how her organization is changing the face of education - and leveling the playing field in a nation where 80 percent of jobs over the next decade will involve math and science - by teaching computer programming to girls of color.
Bio
Kimberly Bryant
Kimberly Bryant is a Biotechnology/Engineering professional who has spent the last decade in the Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, and Manufacturing industry. Kimberly founded Black Girls Code in April, 2011 to meet the needs of young women of color who are underrepresented in the currently exploding field of technology. The program focuses on introducing girls of color between the ages of 7 and 17 to the field of digital technology and computer programming with a focus on emerging entrepreneurial concepts. In August of 2012, Kimberly Bryant was awarded the prestigious Jefferson Award for Community Service for her work to support communities in the Bay Area with Black Girls Code.
Anya Kamenetz
Anya Kamenetz writes about the future of education. In 2011, Learning, Freedom and the Web and The Edupunks’ Guide were published as free ebooks by the Mozilla and Gates Foundation respectively. Anya also penned Generation Debt which dealt with youth economics and politics. Her book DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education investigated innovations to address the crises in cost, access, and quality in higher education. She was named a 2010 Game Changer in Education by the Huffington Post and received 2009 and 2010 National Awards for Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association.
By asking, "What does a computer engineer look like?" Kimberly Bryant, founder of Black Girls Code, shows how the digital divide has widened between genders. Bryant stresses why it's important to encourage girls of color to get into computer science.