By Larry K. Williams, TAG president and CEO
Last week, we successfully brought the Georgia Technology Summit to an inspiring close. The event featured nationally and locally recognized speakers committed to strengthening the innovation ecosystem of Georgia and beyond. If you missed out on the annual summit, you can access a synopsis of the event here:
One of our biggest accomplishments last week was the launch of our Bridge Builders initiative, a Social Justice and Equity (SJ&E) initiative designed to bring the technology and business communities together to drive change.
Our mission is to help close Georgia’s gap in diversity, focusing on black tech professionals. The statistics are staggering: while 32% of all Georgia residents are black, only 1% of startups are black-funded or led, only 8% of all managers in tech are black and our local tech workforce is only 23% black.
The Bridge Builders program aims to create an equitable technology workforce more representative of Georgia’s population. Through this initiative, we hope to advance 1,000 black people in technology over the next five years by helping them gain the right skills, connecting them with the right resources, and promoting career paths in technology. Specifically, we plan to increase our scholarship fund by $100,000 for the next five years and facilitate introductions of Black entrepreneurs to TAG members and corporate leaders.
You can learn more about the Bridge Builders initiative here: https://www.tagonline.org/bridge-builders/
Finally, the month of May is a great time for parents and caregivers to think of innovative ways to introduce our youth to technology. From computer science and coding to engineering, robotics, rocketry and mathematics challenges, TAG-Ed offers regional summer camps to help our young people continue learning new skills. Get more information here: https://www.tagedonline.org/summer-camps/
