#Afrotech 2019: A Recap of Lessons Learned
The bags are (finally) unpacked and I am no longer missing the California sunshine. Well, I may still miss it just a little bit. All that to say, I am back and settled in from my trip to Afrotech 2019. Plainly put: I am so glad I went. The things I learned and the connections made while at this conference are things I hope to carry with me for the foreseeable future. In fact, my journey to and throughout Afrotech taught me several valuable lessons that I want to reflect on and share.
But let's start at the beginning.
What IS Afrotech??!?
If you happened to be in Oakland, California the weekend of November 8th-10th (or are an avid follower of #BlackTechTwitter), you most likely saw thousands of black professionals wearing something like this:
Afrotech is a gathering of black engineers, founders, entrepreneurs and professionals of all areas within technology. It is an opportunity for one to network, learn, commiserate and celebrate what it means to be black in tech. This was a safe space built for black people, by black people in the technology industry. Attendees had the opportunity to attend learning sessions in distinct tracks like engineering/design, entrepreneurship, and learning lab.
As a black woman trying to navigate my journey into the tech industry, this was a place I needed to be. Furthermore, when I found out that a hometown hero of mine was also slated to speak (shoutout to Brianna McCullough, an engineer at Target), that was it; I knew I HAD to find my way there. Then reality set in. To put on a conference of this magnitude, ticket prices needed to be proportional to that. Unfortunately for me, I did not receive any of the attendance scholarships that I had applied for. And with the conference being quite a ways from where I call home(Minnesota), I was unable to cover all costs needed to be able to attend. It was definitely a blow, and I shared my sadness at not being able to attend this valuable opportunity on where else? Twitter.
But the story doesn't end there.
A fellow black woman in tech (Shoutout to Nikema Prophet) empathized with my frustration and encouraged me to try and crowdfund my way to the conference. I figured, at worst, I just wouldn't raise any money and still not be able to attend. So what was the harm in trying? That same night, I put up a Paypal Pool and shared my story.
Remember how I said even my journey to Afrotech taught me a valuable lesson? Well, here's lesson number one:
There is no shame in asking for help. There are people out there who want to help, if only you ask.
In less than two hours I had over fifty percent of the cost of attendance(including flight, ticket, and accommodation) raised. All because of a tweet. Within 48 hours, I had the entire cost of attendance funded. I had my ticket and I was on my way. But this isn't even the best part of the story.
When I finally arrived in Oakland, I experienced my second lesson immediately.
There are DROVES of talented black professionals skilled in engineering or have the tenacity to be an entrepreneur. THEY ARE OUT THERE.
When I look at the makeup of the teams for many tech companies, they are overwhelmingly lacking in melanin. One might start to think that maybe there are just not enough people of color learning the skills and applying for roles at these companies. Afrotech taught me that this just isn't true. I met an engineer (a black female engineer, mind you) who worked for the Golden State Warriors. I met another who was a lead at Google. Facebook, Amazon and even the infamous Twitter Blackbirds were all represented at this conference. The talent is there, companies just have to be willing to put in the work to find it.
While at the conference, I got the opportunity to attend informative talks, learning labs, and fireside chats. By far, my favorite talk was given by Dantley Davis, VP of Design and Research at Twitter. His talk, "Creating #ForTheCulture" resonated with me on several levels. He shared his reality of being a black man in this space and what that uniquely means. It means becoming a master at your craft for the sake of others coming behind you. It means learning how to stop code-switching and being unapologetically yourself. But most importantly, it means, and this was lesson number three:
My blackness is my Superpower.
This lesson, for me, is arguably my biggest takeaway from Afrotech. Growing up in Minnesota, I had to learn quickly that others would find just my presence intimidating. This meant minimizing all the things that made me different when I should have been celebrating them. I tried to blend in when I should have been embracing that I was born to stand out. I made myself as palatable as possible to those around me because I needed them to be comfortable in order to survive and thrive in that environment. It was so bad, I found myself apologizing for things I had no business apologizing for.
And while hindsight is 20/20. It is never too late to learn this lesson. In this day and age, one would be remiss if they didn't acknowledge that black culture shapes and drives our culture as a whole. We are the innovators and trendsetters. So much so that there are frequent studies on black influence in pop culture and marketing. We have the power, if only we choose to embrace it. And that is exactly what I intend to do going forward.
I could go on detailing everything I learned and the valuable connections I made during this conference. But to recap the biggest takeaways:
There is no shame in asking for help
Talented black people with the necessary skills in tech are out there. Find them
My blackness is my Superpower
The reality is: If you're a black person either in tech or trying to get there, this is a place you need to be. To those who made this whole event possible: Thank you.
And to those who made it possible for me to attend: an even bigger Thank you.