Google to donate nearly $200K to Black Girls Code
Tomorrow, Google will announce a $190,000 donation to the nonprofit Black Girls Code. The money will be used to help 75 black and Latino girls learn how to make a mobile app in one day. The donation is part of an attempt to diversify the tech industry, which is largely male and white.
Saturday’s bilingual session at Google’s Chelsea headquarters will teach 75 black and Latina 12- to 17-year-olds how to build a mobile app in one day.
“Our goal is to change the face of technology by showing the world that girls of color can code and do so much more,” said Kimberly Bryant, founder of the nonprofit with seven chapters across the country and one in Johannesberg, South Africa.
The six-hour session will use a simple development kit that allows the amateur coders to create apps using programming “blocks” similar to puzzle pieces. Each block represents different commands and functions that, when combined, animate a program.
Read more at the New York Daily News
Black Girls Code will also be able to use the grant money to hire full-time employees.
What other efforts should tech industry juggernauts be taking to ensure a diverse workforce in the field?
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