Co-Hosting for dev-color

One of the highlights of the year happened this month. I was honored to be one of the co-hosts for a Conference for underrepresented Black Software Engineers from all over the country on behalf of /dev/color and sponsored by Google.
https://www.devcolor.org/

Leading up to the event I was more nervous than I’m used to. I’ve had a lot of experience in the past being in front of people, but being in front of hundreds of Black Software Engineers was a first and the event had a lot more meaning behind it, for me, the attendees, the organizers, sponsors and the future people who will eventually be impacted by the people in the room who bring a whole new perspective, experience and history of existence within the world. A whole class of products and businesses will blossom from the cultural influence and alternative focus on problems more relevant to their local communities or societal concerns and frustrations.

Soon that nervousness, turned into immense gratitude and pride. A great community had come together learning and supporting each other. Future industry leaders and individuals who had come a long way and have been able to persist and succeed.
We know about the numbers, the statistics that unfortunately reflect how little representation there is in the industry. Numbers that seem to be stagnant or getting worse in some areas, when the population and user base reflect a mismatch showing large numbers of use from people in those communities. The wealth and opportunities have not been distributed evenly, and in some places work to assist and introduce more direct access to opportunity faces stiff resistance or deaf ears.

Irregardless of the obstacles we continue to push forward and stay in motion.
Technology and Software continue to consume wide portions of our modern life and those who understand the language, which literally builds the future have immense influence on how the world of tomorrow is shaped. We want to be a part of that conversation and the process for building a better future.
Thanks to all the attendees, organizers, sponsors, and supporters.
If you’re interested in learning more about /dev/color reach out.