Finding Opportunity in Times of Uncertainty

Kimberly Bryant

Kimberly Bryant founded Black Girls CODE to create pathways to careers in Computer Science for her daughter Kai and girls like her who have been historically marginalized in STEM careers, particularly in the field of technology. Her goal was to prepare these “tech divas” to be able to lead the digital transformation in which we currently find ourselves immersed in. With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic and on the eve of its tenth year in operation, Black Girls CODE is experiencing a digital transformation of its own, pivoting from in-person events to virtual learning models. Bryant will share the Black Girls CODE story, from its founding to its current transformational moment, as well as contemporary and historical case studies of resilience and leadership by women and people of color in times of crisis. During this transformation, Bryant sees an opportunity to “widen the Black Girls CODE net” and support disadvantaged students beyond their normal reach and will ask how we all can navigate and learn from today’s challenges to find new opportunities, new ways of thinking, and new ways to create a hopeful future.