Kimberly Bryant, founder and executive director of Black Girls Code, will present Carleton College’s weekly convocation address on Friday, Feb. 14 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Bryant’s presentation, entitled “Behind the Click: Securing the Future for Girls of Color as the Tech Leaders and Creators of Tomorrow,” discuss the digital divide currently faced by girls of color. This event is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.
Black Girls Code is a non-profit organization dedicated to introducing girls of color to the field of technology and computer programming. Their mission is to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology.
Bryant founded San Francisco-based Black Girls Code in 2011 as a way to close the digital divide for girls of color. To date, the organization has trained more than 1,500 girls to work in technology fields such as robotics, video game design, mobile phone application development and computer programming. Bryant says she aims to reach one million girls by 2040. Learn more about Black Girls Code at www.blackgirlscode.com.
In July 2013, Bryant was one of 11 people to receive the White House Champions of Change for Tech Inclusion award, given to celebrate people in the U.S. “who are doing extraordinary things to expand technology opportunities for young learners—especially minorities, women and girls, and others from communities historically underserved or underrepresented in tech fields.”
Bryant has 20+ years of experience as a biotechnology/engineering professional at various Fortune 100 companies. Bryant serves on the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative Project, and the National Board of the NCWIT K-12 Alliance. Bryant is a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Community Service for her work to support communities in the Bay Area. She has been recognized on “The 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology” list, The Root 100 list, and the Ebony Power 100 list.
She is considered a thought leader in the area of tech inclusion and has been a featured speaker at the Personal Democracy Forum, TedX Kansas City, Platform Summit, Big Ideas Festival, SXSW, and national conferences.
For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First Street between College and Winona Streets in Northfield.
