Voices of Change — Black Community + Tech Ecosystem Development = Unleashed Potential

| Fabian Elliott, Founder & CEO of Black Tech Mecca Inc.

Diversity and inclusion are critical underpinnings to our evolving culture at Microsoft and powerful bridges to the marketplace. They can be determining factors in whether or not talented people come to work for us, and whether people buy our products. Through our investment in diverse partnerships on a broad range of opportunities, we continue to work to increase the pipeline of diverse talent, increase retention and match talent to job opportunities that are vital to our success in the future.This month, we are honored to feature the voices of local leaders who represent our commitment to diversity and use their drive to help the community in which they serve.

— Microsoft Chicago Staff

Black-Tech-Mecca

 

Tech sector diversity is a piping hot topic today especially when it comes to the workforce and venture capital stats for the black community. However, technology has a much bigger role to play for the black community than just jobs and new enterprises. Vast untapped potential lies dormant in the black community and technology is the most promising catalyst to unlock it. With the alarming rates of social and economic racial injustice today, unlocking this potential is a vital matter of survival. Please allow me to provide some background on how we got to this point, how technology can help, and what needs to happen to progress forward.

How we got here?

The underrepresentation of blacks in tech is not a coincidence or mystery, but rather the continuation of a dreadful trend. Our country’s tragic racial history has kept many black people out of certain occupations and behind on the major industrial shifts that have occurred. In the 19th century, black people were skilled in many trades, however access was largely limited to agriculture and menial professions such as house help. Even the famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, was brutally beaten and had his eye nearly knocked out of its socket due to racial employment tensions on the docks of Baltimore. Yet, once the demand for workers in those once barred areas reached new highs, black people were welcomed in with “open arms” leading to movements like the great migration that built the nucleus of the black population today in Chicago at the dawn of the 20th century. Unfortunately, as we settled into these new opportunities, it was not long before the digital revolution arrived and completely changed the landscape leaving us to play catch up, once again.

How can technology help?

Technology leveraged correctly can make an impact through community problem solving and wealth building. Right now, most problems that receive technical solutions are problems that only the people who have the know-how or resources care about, which leaves those that do not and their problems largely left unsolved. Imagine if wethe black communitywere properly equipped to solve tough challenges leveraging technology, challenges such as unemployment, mass incarceration, or gun violence. Many of these issues have economic roots, which is why wealth building is so important. Unfortunately, black people still lag far behind in median incomes and net worth figures including ⅓ of the black community in Chicago living in poverty, but technology could help make gradual improvements. There is growing job demand and higher salaries to be claimed due to the limited supply of talent. Chicago’s tech economy alone employs over 54,000 people, according to World Business Chicago. For entrepreneurs, there is now the ability to disrupt literally any sector by applying an innovative tech solution and creating incredible value.

What do we do now?

smart-goals1The current situation has very deep systemic roots and requires a systematic solution. To unlock the potential of the black community, we must focus on building tech ecosystems that enable community members to seamlessly navigate people, information, and resources needed to improve their lives with technology. Connections between resource providers must be strengthened. For instance, there is no reason why the 3rd grade coding organization should not be in collaboration with the group that serves 4th graders. A stronger black tech community must be built where we know and support each other. We must find a comprehensive way to measure these ecosystems to better understand what’s going right and what’s going wrong. This will put us in a better position to enhance existing programs and fill gaps to progress the ecosystem forward.

Understanding where we have been, the potential impact of technology, and where we need to go is the primary motivation for my work with Black Tech Mecca. We are a collaborative community initiative that is building a thriving black tech ecosystem in Chicago through strengthening connections, measuring impact, and directing growth for individuals, organizations, and companies. Visit us at www.BlackTechMecca.org to find out more information.

Fabian Elliott HeadshotFabian Elliott is a ‘Hybrid Entrepreneur’ as Founder & CEO of Black Tech Mecca Inc. His latest endeavor entails transferring what he was able to create within a company to the city he has come to love, by leading the charge to transform Chicago into the ‘Global Black Tech Mecca’. Outside of the tech world, Fabian is past Secretary for the 100 Black Men of Chicago Inc., Next Generation Board Member for American Civil Liberty Union of Illinois, and is a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

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