about.
"Work hard and keep your head down!" - Managers, HR, leaders, everywhere
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TechINColor was born out of necessity. Throughout my career in IT, I’ve heard continuously, “we simply cannot find the talent Linda.” At first, I thought well, I don’t see a lot of people who look like me, but there are some. But as I traversed different organizations, I realized that it’s hard to see us. I attribute this to the advice many of us have heard in our careers when we seek promotion or new roles, “Work hard and keep your head down. It will happen.” And I think this advice contributes to the “not finding.” We’re busy earning degrees, certifications, volunteering, smashing code, serving as Agile jedis, mentoring, and leading start-ups. We’re “working hard.” In that work, we’re not glancing up to see each other. If we cannot see each other, then you cannot see us. To go further, if we cannot see each other, then either can kids.
"This narrative that nothing can be done today and so we must invest in the youth of tomorrow ignores the talents and achievements of the thousands of people in tech from underrepresented backgrounds and renders them invisible." - Laura Wiedman Powers, CODE2040
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We hear every day that there’s a tremendous gap in black and brown students seeking tech education. Educators and industry leaders are implementing programs and strategies to recruit more black and brown students into the tech pipeline –but since these folks don’t see us, they keep missing the mark. How do you recruit those younger people who are absent, when your strategies are absent our voice? TechINColor is an answer to visibility–one answer. Tech –IN (for in and Indiana) –Color (black and brown). With TechINColor there’s no longer an excuse for not finding us. Here we are. Each of us living, breathing and serving as jedis in the tech ecosystem.
TechINColor by Linda Calvin
"When you can see us, you can be us."
Here we ARE. There are more of us. For youth, we want to be seen. When you see us, you can be us. We are working in the community, seeking out opportunities to speak to students in schools and clubs about tech careers. We want to mentor and be those people the kids in the community can look up and see. We hope to inspire. This website is representative of just a few voices. Over time, more profiles will be added. If you are searching for a speaker, for talent, for networking or just to learn more, reach out directly to anyone on the site or complete the contact form. If you are black or brown working in the tech community and wish to be featured, please complete the profile feature form. I’ll reach out to you to get more information.
