I had the opportunity this past Sunday to participate as a judge in the second annual Hack4Diversity organized by the good folks at CODE2040 (co-sponsored by the Kapor Center and Pandora). The stated goals of the hackathon were to “bring together the Bay Area tech community with the next generation of diverse innovators, generate and execute on creative ideas to close the …
Inside the White House: My Brother’s Keeper Initiative
Just wanted to report back from DC, where I’ve had the tremendous honor and pleasure of representing the Kapor Center – and by extension all of our partners and allies – at President Obama’s launch of the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. This is a national effort that will galvanize government, philanthropic, nonprofit, and corporate support to improve life outcomes for …
Join Us! Seeking Research Prize Manager!
People: We’re emerging from planning and are eager to re-launch our Hidden Bias Research Prize! But we need additional hands and leadership in order to do it, so we’re on the fast track to hire a program manager. Essentially we’re looking for someone with super-strong project management skills, an entrepreneurial/go-getter spirit, familiarity with academic research and the tech sector, and …
Hot Jobs!
Not that kind of Jobs. Three of our partner/portfolio organizations are hiring! Check ’em out and spread the word to your diverse networks! #YesWeCode is looking for a Project Manager. See the job description here. The #YesWeCode initiative targets low-opportunity youth and provides them with the necessary resources and tools to become world-class computer programmers. #YesWeCode will recruit hundreds of …
Tech Waits for No One: Oaktown, Let’s Build!
Now what? Now that LiveWorkOakland.com is launched, showcasing the #OaktownTech Ecosystem map and directory (many thanks to the nearly 200 folks who attended the event on Wednesday the 20th), our hope is that this evolving tool will enable better, quicker, deeper connections between Oakland’s tech players, and be a springboard for a concerted drive forward of an (appropriately inclusive) innovation …
Building a Stronger Pipeline: HBCUs & Silicon Valley
Just wanted to share a quick update on the fantastic three day convening that was held last week at Stanford: UNCF sponsored the first-ever HBCU Innovation Summit, which brought representatives from over a dozen colleges and universities to the heart of Silicon Valley. The Summit was designed to “increase engagement, connectivity and performance of diverse and underrepresented communities to the …
CODING NATION: 300+ Programs Offer Coding & Comp Sci Education
We’re excited to announce the release of CODING NATION: The Kapor Center Coding Report & Database. What began as a landscape survey of coding and computer science programs – originally just intended for our internal use – soon grew into a comprehensive collection of such programs. We realized that rather than keep it to ourselves, in a spirit of sharing …
Trans*H4CK: Breaking Ground in Two Communities
The Kapor Center served as a proud sponsor of Trans*H4ck, (what we believe is) the first hackathon in the nation to focus leveraging tech to address trans-specific challenges. The founder and visionary, Kortney Ryan Zeigler (who was just selected as one of The Root 100’s 2013 Top Black Influencers), posted this summary piece on their homepage:
Kapor Center Art Competition Opens to Community
We are super-excited to announce the Kapor Center Façade Art Competition! We seek a vibrant installation to cover the first floor of our building at 2148 Broadway while we prepare for the full renovation and construction to begin in late spring 2014. We want our building to complement the bubbling creative vibe of uptown Oakland, where our building and future …
5 Ways for Tech to Look like Us (the U.S.)
Download the full list (jpg) here! Thanks to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Champions of Change for Tech Inclusion, and Citizen Engagement Labs for helping us make this happen!
Celebrating (& Learning from) Champions of Change
Over the past year, we’ve had the honor of working with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on specific events focusing on increasing active participation of people of color and women, among other populations, in the tech industry/economy. We were present last week when the White House recognized 11 Champions of Change for Tech Inclusion, citizens …
And Justice for All
Over the past week I’ve been mentally composing a response to share through the Kapor Center blog about the Trayvon Martin slaying, the Zimmerman verdict, and the maddening wounds of racial inequity and discord that the case has laid bare in the US. I’ve read and participated in social media op-eds, campaigns, and memes about this controversy. Much has been …