Honoring Black History by Honoring Opportunity

We must never forget that Black History is American History. The achievements of African Americans have contributed to our nation's greatness. - Congresswoman Yvette Clarke

One of the business sectors that contribute to “our nation’s greatness” is technology. If not for the contributions of Black tech pioneers like Katherine Johnson, Phyllis Bolds, Annie Easley, and countless other Black change agents and innovators, this industry would not be one of America’s most prominent and profitable industries.

Yet, a lack of diversity in tech remains a serious issue, including for Black women. Today, Black women represent only 3% percent of workers in tech and tech-enabled sectors. And, in terms of the recent tech layoffs, a new study shows that women of color are once again bearing the brunt of these cuts.

However, like many other individuals, nonprofits, corporations and organizations, Command Shift is more energized than ever to help accelerate progress in diversifying tech by increasing representation of women of color, including Black women, to enter, advance and thrive in tech.

With this in mind, I’d like to honor history by honoring opportunity -- the opportunities that we must create to reach equity for Black women and all Black people not just in tech, but across all facets of society.

Command Shift Coalition Spotlight: The Command Shift Alumni Council

At Command Shift, we are committed to centering the voices of the women we serve. Young women of color, pursuing tech careers, inspired this movement, and they have had a seat at the Command Shift table since the Coalition was launched in 2021. Today, we are proud to announce the launch of the Command Shift Alumni Council. This group of dynamic young women is composed of alumni from NPower’s tech training program who have entered tech and are committed to growing into our tech leaders of tomorrow. 

Command Shift Alumni Council members are courageous individuals who also navigated challenging times to overcome barriers and biases along their tech career journey. Their role is to advise The Command Shift Coalition and ensure that our programming, outreach, messaging, events and other activities are tailored to achieve our goal: reaching more and more young women of color to help them achieve economic mobility through tech jobs.

We look forward to sharing more details about the Alumni council’s involvement in our efforts, and a glimpse of their personal journeys entering and persisting in the tech industry.

The Equation for Equality in Action: Sierra Bentley, NPower Alumni and Command Shift Alumni Council Member

Sierra Bentley advocates for changing the narratives, norms, and perspectives on women's success in the tech industry through her writing on social media and other platforms.

Her interest in technology started early in life and when she was ready to build a career, she participated in tech training through NPower, obtaining a certificate in Tech Fundamentals. After two internships in tech accelerators and education districts, she became a Help Desk Technician in the government software industry in Michigan. From there, she stepped into a position as a Computer Support Technician and spends her days doing what she loves-- offering tech advice, solving tech issues for others and providing support in many other ways. 

She is just one of many successful Black women in tech, across all levels and tech-enabled sectors, who are helping to widen the pathways for other women of color to step into tech jobs and advance and thrive over the long term.

You don't have to know everything, but you should always be willing to make a difference...You can do the impactful work you dream about; the rest will fall in line. - Sierra Bentley

Companies Supporting our Mission

Black History Month is a time of celebration and remembrance. We’d like to take a moment and share our gratitude and appreciation to our partners, staff, allies, advocates and other supporters who work hard every day to advance our mission. Without their energy, intelligence and creativity, the work we are doing to pave a pathway into tech for women of color would not be possible. To The Citi Foundation, Amazon Web Services (AWS) , Accenture , Broadridge , Comcast NBCUniversal , Guardian Life , Juniper Networks , Lockheed Martin , MetLife and World Wide Technology , NETSCOUT , LinkedIn , Workday , Vodafone Americas Foundation ,and Tata Consultancy Services , we say thank you!

Women of Color in Tech Day 2023: Elevated Voices | Real Conversations

Join us as we set our eyes on Women's History Month in March, we continue to honor the women that embody our efforts and work to both inspire and have the courage to make the transition into tech. Join us to celebrate Women of Color in Tech Day from March 27 to March 30. 

We have an exciting month in store, including:

Commanding Conversations: Real Talk from Women in Tech, The Equation for Equality Index, Communities and Confidence …and more.

Stay tuned for more information on how you can help amplify the stories of women currently in tech and champion for more hiring, retention, and continued advancement for women of color in the industry. 

Innovating for Diversity

Susanne Tedrick ,"Women of Color in Tech" Author and Command Shift Coalition Member, along with ☀️Bertina Ceccarelli , NPower CEO will be releasing a publication, "Innovating for Diversity" this spring. This book will center around how the principles of innovation can be applied to build sustainable diversity, equity, and inclusion practices embraced at all levels across organizations. Learn more about the book release

Upcoming Coalition Events:

Advancing Racial Equity in Tech - March 2, 2023

Join Command Shift Coalition member, NCWIT  for Advancing Racial Equity in Tech with Dr. Allison Scott, Ph.D. , CEO of the Kapor Center, and Dr. Ivory Toldson , the National Director of Education Innovation and Research for the NAACP. The Kapor Center and NAACP recently collaborated to publish “The State of Tech Diversity: The Black Tech Ecosystem” as a means to offer concrete solutions for improving access and inclusion for Black Americans in tech. 

Register and take part in a Q&A with both speakers