Celebrate Black HERStory Month With AnitaB.org!

Welcome to Black HERstory Month

AnitaB.org is uplifting amazing female pioneers in tech from the past and present who are fighting for a just future.

Hear what President and CEO of AnitaB.org, Brenda Darden Wilkerson, has to say.

We are living through revolutionary times, and never has there been a better moment to rebuild the culture of our country to equitably represent the richness of our diverse nation.

There is no more room for excuses. Educational institutions, companies, and organizations everywhere hold the power and responsibility to create the practices that will pave the way for inclusive technology for all.

Join us as we celebrate incredible Black women all month long!

#BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #BlackHerstoryMonth #Herstory #WomenInTechnology #InclusiveTechnology

Carin Taylor is Chief Diversity Officer at @Workday and has global responsibility for the development and execution of the organization’s inclusion and diversity strategy. She has been a tireless advocate of successfully recruiting, developing, and retaining diverse workforces as well as enabling large organizations to leverage diversity and inclusion to drive innovation.

Carin believes, “Only through talking can we connect with others and gain a better understanding and appreciation of our differences.” Her dedication to creating awareness among business leaders and moderating the difficult conversations make her a force in the transformation towards a more inclusive future in tech.

Thank you, Carin!

Candice Morgan was the first Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Pinterest, spending over four years leading vision and strategy to integrate diversity into the talent pool, product and search algorithms, and creator and user/community policies.

Her current role at GoogleVentures focuses on building a more inclusive ecosystem for venture capital. Candice’s dedication to equity in tech has empowered the creation of roles designed to increase access and pathways for the brightest founders and technologists from underrepresented groups.

Thank you, Candice for lighting the way for the future generation of women technologists!

Diversity, inclusion and disrupting bias is a full-time focus for Lenora Billings-Harris. She has been included as one of the 100 Global Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion by the Society of Human Resource Management and was named by Diversity Woman Magazine as one of the twenty top influential diversity leaders in the US.

Lenora’s powerful yet engaging style inspires others to take personal and organizational actions that disrupt bias and accelerate bottom-line business results. She has presented to audiences in over 41 countries and six continents, including Dubai, Israel and South Africa and Malaysia.

Lenora reminds us of the power of honoring and valuing our own uniqueness while at the same time valuing and respecting the differences of others.

Thank you, Lenora!

Shirley has persevered and pioneered her way into the history books, paving the way for scientists and engineers of every race, sex and creed to build not only their careers, but advancements in research and innovation that serve humanity at large.
In 1973, Shirley Jackson became the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate at MIT, earning her PhD in physics. In 1995, she was appointed chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by President Bill Clinton – the first woman and first African-American to serve in that position. In 2001, Shirley became the first African-American woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Shirley Jackson was Awarded National Medal of Science in 2016 for her work in condensed matter and particle physics, science-rooted public policy achievements, and for inspiring inspiration to the next generation of STEM professionals.

We are forever in awe and gratitude for her commitment to elevating young people into STEM education, and for her contributions as a fierce advocate for public policy that encourages science and technology in academia.

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner was a prolific inventor, holding the record for filing the most patents of any African American woman. Mary’s first patent was awarded in 1957 for the sanitary belt. This innovation was a crucial step for women’s comfort that revolutionized menstrual hygiene during a time when women had limited options. Her ingenuity began as a child when she attempted to build a self-oiling door hinge and lasted until her death in 2006. All of Mary’s inventions were largely targeted toward making daily life easier. Her legacy of tenacity and novel contributions to the domestic landscape helped pave the way for products we still use every day.

Chantilly Jaggernauth’s mission is to empower corporations and individuals through the use of data visualizations and data analytics. As the Founder and CEO of Millennials and Data, she believes “the greatest gift one can share with the world is knowledge”. She works to bridge the data literacy and analytical skills gap by training, mentoring, and preparing millennials to enter a data-driven global environment. Her goal is to build a community of millennials who have the analytical skills needed to become data-driven leaders within any industry. Chantilly has worked for Johnson and Johnson and Comcast, and is currently the Vice President of Data Visualization and Training at Lovelytics.

We thank you for you educating a new generation on the power of information.

Joy Buolamwini is a poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to create a world with more equitable and accountable technology. Her MIT thesis methodology uncovered large racial and gender bias in AI services from the world’s largest corporations. Her work is cited in over 40 countries as foundational evidence for the development of policy reform across the technology ecosystem. As a renowned international speaker she has championed the need for algorithmic justice at the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. In partnership with the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology, Joy launched the Safe Face Pledge in 2018, the first agreement of its kind that prohibits the lethal application of facial analysis and recognition technology. She has created two films, ‘Code4Rights’ and ‘Algorithmic Justice League: Unmasking Bias’. Buolamwini’s research is cited as an influence for Google, Microsoft in addressing gender and race bias in their products and processes.

Thank you Joy for illuminating the path to creating a more just world, one line of code at a time.

Mico Yuk is the co-founder of BI Brainz, and has spent over a decade teaching the verbal, written and visual art of data storytelling. She has consulted and trained 10,000+ professionals for companies like Shell, FedEx, Nestle, Qatargas, Ericsson, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, FedEx and more. Her blunt style and passionate presentations have earned her the title of one of the most influential entrepreneurs in business intelligence. Mico hosts top rated Analytics on Fire podcast, giving a platform to real stories from real people on how they are tackling and succeeding in the wild world of BI, analytics and data.

Sharon Kennedy Vickers aims to make Minnesota the best place in the country to launch and grow technology products that have a positive social impact. She is leading a “tech for good” movement, harnessing the power of inclusion, technology and community assets to drive equitable economic opportunity and growth for all Minnesotans. Sharon is an information technology leader known for her people-first approach to digital services. In 2015, she co-founded a professional platform called Techquity to increase the visibility of Black tech professionals.

Yamilée is a living embodiment of the extraordinary benefits of enriching a STEM education with dance. An avid dancer for 21 years, she graduated from MIT with a mechanical engineering degree. As a teacher, her eyes were opened to the multitude of opportunities her students didn’t have access to and the abundance of potential that would never be unleashed. She set out to provide students with something greater than what the school system could provide. She launched the STEM from DANCE in 2012, using seed funding won from Teach For America’s Social Innovation Award with the hope that a strong dance and STEM supplemental education would help to increase the number of under-represented minority high school girls across the nation who pursue a STEM degrees. Since then, SFD has partnered with over 25 schools and community centers, serving over 400 girls.