BY FELECIA HATCHER
When I played basketball in high school, my coach Ms. Johnson would always tell the team, “We are only as strong as our weakest player, so it's important that everyone is comfortable with the ball.”
As I translate that to the work we are doing with Code Fever, I have realized that we can’t build a thriving start-up ecosystem in Miami without making sure everyone has an understanding and the access to technical training to take advantage of and contribute to that ecosystem.
The conversation about tech diversity and inclusion is not a new one, but it has garnered a new spotlight recently since Google, Facebook, Twitter and others have released their diversity numbers.
The numbers show women, blacks and Hispanics are, sadly, underrepresented, blacks in the low single digits. However, it doesn’t do anyone justice to just release diversity numbers if no organizations are putting together outreach programs that either educate people on the exact steps they need to take to qualify for those jobs or create a direct pipeline to employment, through training, not just for youth but also adults.
South Florida’s black community is in a state of emergency. Most of our youth, regardless of economic standing, have a mindset shaped by materialism and the consumption of technology, with a total disregard to understanding tech, becoming technology producers and being community change agents. As we talk about the digital divide, we don’t have the big access to technology issues like we did five years ago — black residents index high in the use of mobile technology use and consumption. We also rank highest on social-media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
The digital divide is now on the tech-creation side.