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New Non-Profit Aims to Increase the Number of Black Engineers in the Tech Industry

Posted byBy Ricky Riley | Published on: CommentsComments (1)
Founder Makinde Adeagbo

Founder Makinde Adeagbo

According to USA Today, the amount of Black engineers at Facebook and Google is only 1 percent. Managing software engineer, Makinde Adeagbo, is accustomed to the lack of diversity in the tech industry.

As a Pinterest engineer, Adeagbo realizes that the diversity problem will not go away without significant change. The irony is that Pinterest and Twitter have been addressing their diversity problem by seeking the help of Paradigm, a company that specializes in diversity training. This process is a first step toward diversity but it isn’t the quickest.

So Adeagbo decided to take matters into his own hands. His company /dev/color is a non-profit organization that provides Black engineers with the connections and skills needed to start and stay in the industry. In a blog post, Adeagbo shares the story behind his company, stating that /dev/color started after he mentored a gifted college student who had interned at major tech companies and wanted more guidance about a career in software engineering.

The company started this summer as a tool and resource that would ultimately help advance Black engineers into leadership roles in their respective companies.

The organization emphasizes the need for mentorship and networking in a industry where there are few Black engineers. In order to reach as many people as possible, /dev/color will be  joining Black Girls Code, Code 2040 and the Hidden Genius Project to attack the diversity problem head on.

For more information, visit /dev/color.

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