In 2020, a projected 1.4 million computing jobs will become available in the United States. Kimberly Bryant, Founder and CEO of Black Girls Code, is training the next generation of women of color to take advantage of these growing opportunities and enter this burgeoning industry.
Through its coding programs and emphasis on STEM education and entrepreneurial concepts, Black Girls Code is making a real impact on the next generation of tech innovators, specifically young girls from African-American communities. The Bryant-led non-profit organization has set a goal of having one million girls from around the world participate in its program by 2040.
“Culture is important, and that is how we will win at technology here in the U.S.”
As a bold visionary and purveyor of female empowerment through Black Girls Code, Bryant is the 2019 inductee into the SXSW Interactive Hall of Fame. This award recognizes pioneers within the interactive community whose career achievements have charted the course for the digital industry’s future.
In 2011, after a professional career spanning over 20 years in technical leadership roles in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Bryant shifted her focus from Fortune 50 companies to equipping young girls with the tools to develop their own futures and forge a new tech generation. In eight years, Black Girls Code has since grown from its grassroots start into an internationally acclaimed non-profit.