PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Bridging the gap between technology and minorities, that's the mission of the group Techsgiving.
A 2019 survey by the group Wired revealed that Hispanic, Black, and Indigenous people only make up about 5% of people working in the tech industry in Silicon Valley firms.
A group of men here in the DMV is working to change that.
“Techsgiving is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and it is dedicated to the advancement of minorities and technology,” Mounda Williams said.
Williams along with Ayo Duyile, one of the founders of Techsgiving, are creating a direct pipeline for children who will one day enter a competitive workforce.
“A lot of the youth don't have exposure to tech. So, we're trying to get them that early and often so that way they can know, 'Hey I could be an engineer, hey I could be a data scientist, hey I can be a video game developer,'” Duyile said.
They provide students across the metro region and internationally with laptops and the funds to take coding courses. Duyile said more diverse voices are needed in this industry.
“The future of the world is going towards technology as well too. So for us to have a seat at the table, we have to get involved now,” Duyile said.
Ensuring minorities are not just consumers, but creators as well.
“When you think about these products, you want to make sure that they're made for everybody as well too, so if you only have people who have a seat at the table that don't look like us, how do you think the products are gonna affect us as well too?" Duyile said. "And then lastly, when you think about the major consumers of these technologies as well too, we want to make sure that we have some influence in that as well too because we consume it just as much as everybody else."
Most recently, Techsgiving donated over 300 bookbags and laptops to students in Lanham, Md. Techsgivng has raised more than $50,000 in grassroots donations. On Friday, they will host one of their annual fundraisers in partnership with Willows Weekend.
Their outreach goes beyond the DMV. In April 2019, they were able to raise enough funds to supply 10 laptops and create a new computer lab for the students of Trinity College Preparatory School in Ondo State.