How Blacks in Technology Foundation is ‘stomping the divide’

BIT has also continued its focus on fostering pathways to tech at a young age, including a unique gaming platform called Metarena designed to educate kids about tech career opportunities. They’ve also sponsored the production of the TV series Newark, which focuses on the experiences of black tech founders in northern New Jersey. The concept trailer introduces a cast of characters launching a startup outside of Silicon Valley, in a predominantly white industry. Unique initiatives such as these, in addition to BIT’s more traditional high school and elementary education programs, demonstrate BIT’s dedication to empowering Black youth to embrace tech careers.

BIT also hosts a startup pre-accelerator program in partnership with the Kukua Institute. The program helps startup founders gain the necessary training to create scalable business models, gain mentorship, and connect with other founders and funding opportunities. BIT also enables corporate sponsors opportunities to connect with Black tech talent, identify new talent pipelines, and host career fairs to interact with talent directly.

Mentorship as a cornerstone to success

For Black IT pros, finding mentorship or sponsorship opportunities in the workplace can be challenging. In navigating non-diverse workplaces, underrepresented workers often feel reluctant to ask certain questions or unable to bring their authentic selves to work. Through BIT, Black tech workers can find mentorship opportunities with other people who have had similar experiences, and who understand the nuances to being a Black professional in IT.

Dr. Gregory Thomas, PMP and executive chairman of Roostech, joined BIT late last year. He began his IT career in the late 90s, and when he first started applying to IT jobs at Fortune 100 companies, he “kept being told, ‘You’re overqualified,’ or ‘You’d be bored,’” he says, sometimes not even receiving a reply after an interview.

“Only years later would articles and studies be published confirming that what I and many others had experienced was the racist wall that keeps many Blacks out of IT roles in high-profile companies,” says Thomas.

Now he is part of BIT to help “pay it forward,” by helping and mentoring others to find their dream job in the tech industry and to make connections to help serve them in their careers.

“It is important to me at this stage in my career that I focus my attention on helping as many Blacks succeed in IT as possible, both at home and abroad. With BIT, for the first time in my career, I am meeting qualified Blacks at all levels of IT, and I want to help as many of them as possible since mentors were few and far in between when I began my career nearly 30 years ago,” says Thomas.

BIT’s Converged mentorship program matches up career professionals in six-month cohorts to learn from professionals higher up on the corporate ladder. For example, a junior engineer might be paired with a senior engineer. The goal is for mentors and mentees to build a long-term relationship, but participants also have the option to switch up partnerships if they don’t feel it will work out long term.

BIT’s Global Mentorship Initiative pairs college students with early career professionals who can helps students learn how to get into the tech industry. For Black college students looking to enter IT, having mentorship through BIT can break down barriers. Through these relationships, students are paired with someone they can relate to, enabling them to have candid conversations about what it’s really like to work in the industry, what to expect, and how to navigate everything from typical to potentially difficult situations in a corporate environment.

Gray / Diversity Cyber Council

BIT member Odie Martez Gray found the organization while searching for communities that promote career equity to people of color and women in the tech industry. BIT has provided Gray, who is president of Diversity Cyber Council, with a sense of community, and he has received mentorship, career advocacy, and strategic partnerships for his business to grow long-term viability.

“Lack of representation and advocacy for the Black community in tech has led to limited hiring and promotion opportunities despite being objectively qualified,” Gray says. “Additionally, Black professionals continue to withhold experiences of discrimination, bias, and a toxic work environment in order to sustain their careers. We sacrifice so much for the comfort of others that rarely make concessions for our presence let alone identity, it is more than welcome to have an organization like BIT take the helm in providing proper support to those that need it the most.”