Inspirational Black Men In Tech: Sean Michael Hardy of Dream Corps On The Five Things You Need To Know In Order To Create A Very Successful Tech Company

An Interview With Jamie Hemmings

Celebrate the small wins — So many of us want to solve problems that have plagued marginalized communities for centuries, or we are looking to create opportunities that solve for the future. Either way, we have to make celebrating small wins standard practice. In my years of consulting, I have seen leaders act as if $5-$10K donations were not a big deal. They’d minimize the donations to being simply “a drop in the bucket”.

As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Black Men In Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sean Michael Hardy.

Sean Michael Hardy, MSW is a clinically trained social worker and currently serves as the Deputy Director of Community Organizing & Development for Dream Corps TECH. Sean is responsible for identifying, engaging, and optimizing the resources organizations, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts have to create solutions that address the racial disparities that exist within the tech sector. We then use those resources to create entry-level pathways for individuals in Black and Brown communities who have non-traditional tech backgrounds.

Sean has almost a decade of experience working to build community power around climate justice reform, education reform, and tech equity and diversity. Sean is also a freelance campaign strategist, supporting national reform campaigns including “Nix the Six”, a Campaign Zero project demanding police union reform, and successfully led the digital electoral work resulting in local school board appointments in Louisville, KY.

Sean’s work is grounded in his commitment to community mental health, leadership development, and the mobilization of historically disenfranchised communities to build power. His personal mantra, “power is the product of relationships”.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

To be honest, and this is a more recent self-revelation, I came to this career path because I found the nerve to say that I can be a Black queer man that takes up space and uses his voice in the industries and communities I occupy.

I never set out to have a career in the tech space. I set out to answer two foundational questions, do I have value and can I make a difference?

I grew up in a single-parent household with a very emotionally unavailable military father. He taught me grit and survival as a Black man in this country, but he didn’t teach me what it meant to move from a survivalist mindset to one of someone who is thriving. As you can imagine this crisis of consciousness over the years has led to lots of trial and error, including dropping out of my first Master of Social Work program in Atlanta, GA to move back home after a nervous breakdown.

But it was through that nervous breakdown that I believe I was truly thrust into my purpose.

During that time of transition between my graduate programs, I decided to take an internship volunteer opportunity with a multi-issue organizing organization called, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. There I worked on Just Transition and air quality issues impacting residents of West Louisville, in Kentucky. The city we are all now familiar with because of the untimely murder of Breonna Taylor. I’d say It was through my organizing work in Kentucky that I found my calling, but it was in my work at an education reform organization in the Bay Area that I became an established organizer and power builder.

When I became a full-time paid organizer in San Francisco, I was given a front-row seat to the corruption of local politics and the power of community mobilization and leadership development. San Francisco Unified School District is the worst school district for Black Students in the State of California. In San Francisco, Black students only make up almost 8% of the student population yet have some of the worst academic outcomes in the district. Juxtapose that next to the reality that San Francisco is the 2nd richest city in the United States out producing almost every nation on the planet. How does that make sense?

During my time as an organizer in San Francisco, I was able to build a sustainable community of parents from diverse backgrounds that truly cared about one another and the educational disparities that existed in their school district. I was also instrumental in supporting residents in the Bayview-Hunters Point District to create the Mary L Booker Leadership Academy Charter School. Watching parents go from apathy to activation is still one of the greatest contributions I believe one could ever make in a community. I know I did that.

I arrived at Dream Corps by circumstance.

COVID -19 upended public education. Everyone in the education reform space turned their attention to figuring out how to make sure students learn during this time of distance learning. It was during this moment that we all had to reckon with the reality of digital illiteracy. How can families support their students in distance learning when they do not know HOW to use a computer? That was a turning point for me. I realized that COVID was moving us into a new tech industrial revolution. One in which Black communities can contribute in a meaningful way. So my hunt began to identify an organization that was focused on creating visibility and access to tech sector jobs… that’s when I stumbled upon Dream Corps TECH.

I will admit that I was drawn in when I found out that Van Jones and the late Prince were the founders of our program, but I was convinced that this organization was the perfect fit for me when I read our mission statement — “Dream Corps TECH is a national program cultivating future leaders and entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, creating a pipeline of diverse talent that will shift the culture of the tech sector towards a more inclusive and equitable future.”

I immediately ran to Linkedin where I cold-messaged both of the National Directors, Kasheef Wyzard, and Michelle Ferguson. To my surprise, Michelle responded immediately and we began a conversation around how TECH was establishing its presence nationally. We also began ideating around how we can create more intentional programming for communities that do not have traditional tech backgrounds but are interested in transitioning to a career in the tech sector. Within 3 months the role was created FOR me, and I have been working to scale our national community footprint ever since.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

In our society, I’ve learned that the culture of urgency is a double-edged sword that is both a tool of incredible innovation and productivity as well as a tool of white supremacy.

As a majority-Black staffed tech program, we are constantly living in this duality of urgency. On one hand, we are moving with the reality that the work of racial justice and equity are day-to-day struggles that require urgent solutions that lead to change. However, we also have to navigate the complex agendas of the business world at large that are motivated by short-term power and profit.

This all came to a head as we planned and launched our inaugural Annual Black Tech event — “Black Future Weekend”. My colleague, Michelle Ferguson, is the co-creator of this event and had to grapple with the two aforementioned realities every day. I watched her work tirelessly to create a community-centered event focused on breaking down the barriers of access to the tech sector to celebrate Black culture, tech talent, and create space that cultivates and inspires those who see themselves as the future of tech. She and our team were successful, but not without being stymied by biased practices and the cultural inertia of white supremacy, which had a cost on our minds, body, and souls.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Funny is subjective in this instance, but I’d have to say that my funniest mistake is assuming my colleagues understand the tactics and methods of execution I engage in.

As a career organizer and social worker, I came into my role with the assumption that my role was clear to everyone who I worked with directly. I assumed that me coming in and taking up space with good intentions was enough. It is NOT.

One story that stood out to me was a miscommunication between myself and a colleague on another team around the community engagement and social impact strategies we were using. I was trained as a grassroots organizer. Grassroots organizers are taught that the most reliable way to build power is through 1:1 relationships and undergirding community gatekeepers and stakeholders to push mobilization and power building efforts forward. My colleague who leads the digital organizing work approaches power building in a similar but different manner.

One day during a meeting I made the comment, “digital organizing is a shortcut to real grassroots organizing.” It did not land the way I intended and created a rift between our two teams. I had to take responsibility for the impact my comment had on my colleagues who are by title/role — Digital Organizers.

The lesson I am still learning:

Your intention may come from a sincere place, but we are actually judged by the impact of the things we say and do. It’s hard to admit that sometimes, even with the best intentions, we cause harm to those around us.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

One of the hardest things I have faced in my journey was choosing to leave my community to pursue my career.

One inescapable reality about being Black in tech is that we are considered unicorns. We are seen as individuals who have overcome insurmountable odds to become these successful contributors to society. This is, of course, a lie. We are not unicorns; we were simply privileged with access, intelligence, and opportunity. Unfortunately, those opportunities often come at the expense of our mental, spiritual, and emotional safety.

When I chose to move to the Bay Area in California, it was not easy. I had people in my community tell me that I was making a mistake; that I would fail; that I should be worried because I’d have no support system by choosing to live across the country. However, my faith in God and myself gave me the strength I needed to push beyond the voices in my head and place a bet on myself and my future, which has since paid off.

Did I ever consider giving up? Absolutely. Remember that nervous breakdown I mentioned before? The culture of urgency that so many social justice advocates in the tech sector grapple with is heavy. I have been overcome by imposter syndrome, feelings of inadequacy, and feelings that I am not making enough impact. Without proper mental health and community support, I was driven to all sorts of self-destructive thoughts. Again, I am grateful for access to resources.

Where did my drive to move through those low times come from? My faith in the teachings of Christ and my ancestors, both living and deceased. As a Black American, although the transatlantic slave trade and pervasive historical racism have obliterated my ability to truly know my ancestry, my faith in humanity, and a supernatural calling to purpose have moved me in my low moments. I have also had the privilege of having friends, grandparents, and two parents in my life to encourage me along the way. I am blessed. Unfortunately, most of them are over 2,000 miles away.

Nevertheless, I move forward with clarity in my commitment to the liberation community

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Well, an honorable mention will always go to my grandmother, Sally Emma Carter. She is the one person in my life who has always modeled safety, love, and spiritual protection.

However, I’d say that the person who has shaped my professional life the most would have to be Malcolm X’s eldest daughter Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, the Ambassador-at-large representing the country of Belize internationally and in perpetuity.

I met her during graduate school as she was a visiting professor. One of my graduate advisors set up a meeting between the two of us after I expressed an interest in creating a university choir that would perform around the city of Louisville, KY. The lessons that I learned from her then still resonate today. She was the first person to introduce me to the concept of global citizenship. She taught me that to create the truest form of equity and belonging amongst communities is to nurture personal respect and respect for others, regardless of their cultural experience or ethnicity.

The time I spent curating cultural experiences around the city of Louisville with her have carried me throughout my career as a community resource broker and community organizer.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“I’ll trust the process, even when I cannot trace the process”

This is more a spiritual principle than it is a quote. I look at my life as one big learning curve. Nothing ever felt particularly easy to me, so I would find myself struggling to understand the “how” and “what” of just about everything.

As I have navigated space professionally, this principle has served me well in not allowing myself to be so caught up in the process that I lose sight of my purpose. My purpose is to serve as a doula supporting the self-determination and liberation of Black people. When I stay focused on the purpose or goal of any project, the “how” and “what” always seem to work itself out.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This is of course a huge topic. But briefly, can you share your view on how this crisis inexorably evolved to the boiling point that it’s at now?

America has not acknowledged nor made restitution for its original sin — Slavery.

We are in a moment where we have unlimited access to information and a captive global community. This leaves space for both limitless innovation and creativity, as well as reinforcing echo chambers that reverberate across hemispheres and polarize communities in ways never before seen in the history of this country.

The fortunate and unfortunate reality is that change is inevitable. Our country is in the process of changing in every way imaginable. It is because of that inevitability that we are seeing communities, particularly white communities, have visceral reactions to that change.

America has to reconcile its inhumanity or our country will not move forward.

This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

Diverse executive teams are a value add to the whole company. According to the Carson College of Business,

1. Representation Matters — Employees need supportive environments to perform at their very best. When we can see ourselves reflected in the leadership of our companies.
2. Belonging Matters — When companies leadership and employees reflect their customer base, they can more accurately anticipate its needs, pain points, and desires.
3. Increased Profits and Productivity — Racially diverse companies financially outperform those with less racial diversity.

Diverse executive teams are a win-win for everyone. Unfortunately, the need to preserve established institutional cultures, otherwise known as unconscious bias, undermines most attempts at reaching this aspirational work environment. To move our organizations into the 21st century, we have to be courageous and take risks.

Let’s zoom out a bit and talk in more broad terms. It’s hard to be satisfied with the status quo regarding Black Men in Tech leadership. What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

There are no black CEOs among Fortune 500 tech companies.

There may be as low as 1% leading their own tech startup. This, in my opinion, demonstrates an innovation crisis!

I believe what is needed to change this dynamic is simple. Access. As we address the following three barriers (Kapor Foundation, 2018), I know we will see a change in the tech landscape like never before.

1. Provide access to STEM education opportunities in our K-12 experience. I was fortunate enough to have some exposure to STEM education, but the truth is, it wasn’t relevant. Teaching relevant curriculum goes a long way. As a student, I never made the connection as to how science, technology, and mathematics would impact my daily life. I never knew that the Myspace page from the early 2000s was teaching me how to code, or that the air quality in my neighborhood was a contributing factor to my grandmother’s colon cancer diagnosis. Making these connections would have changed the trajectory of my professional career; unfortunately, I had to learn by trial, error, and graduate school.
2. Create access to entry-level tech sector roles. Many of the top tech employers do not have entry-level pathways created for individuals seeking a career in tech. I am proud to say that Dream Corps TECH is actively working with tech companies to change that dynamic.
3. Create access to VC funding opportunities. This is a big one! We just don’t have access to the well-educated and connected networks that white tech start-up founders have, but the bigger issue is our lack of access to generational wealth. With most early investments coming from family and friends, neither we nor members of our communities have the access to the capital needed to invest in our ideas.

We’d now love to learn a bit about your company. What is the pain point that your company is helping to address?

Dream Corps is a multi-issue organization focused on closing prison doors and opening doors of opportunity. We do this through three programs that work symbiotically together: Dream Corps JUSTICE — focusing on criminal justice reform, Dream Corps Green For All — focusing on building a sustainable green economy, and Dream Corps TECH — focusing on creating pathways to and equity in the tech sector.

My role as the Deputy Director of Community Organizing and Development is to identify, engage, and optimize the resources organizations, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts have to create solutions that combat this crisis. We then use those resources to create entry-level pathways for individuals in Black and Brown communities who have non-traditional tech backgrounds.

The pain point that we are addressing is the lack of diversity within the tech sector. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are currently over 12 million Americans who identify as tech sector employees, of that 12 Million only over 600,000 of them self-identify as Black.

How can we represent 14.7% of the U.S. population and 12.7% of the U.S. workforce, yet only occupy less than 5% of the tech sector jobs? This is a crisis of representation and innovation. If we do not address this issue now, we will move through yet another moment of cultural transition in the United States that continues to perpetuate the same generational wealth gaps that have existed in our country since its inception. To continue to move this country forward we have to invest in equity. There are no shortcuts.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

The direct impact experienced by our members.

At Dream Corps TECH, one of the things I am moved by most is the access to tech sector employment we provide to individuals in Black communities.

The bread and butter of our program is that we have the privilege of working with real people who have the courage and ambition to take on a new career. One person who comes to mind is a graduate of our entry-level cohort with Target. At the time, she was a recent high school graduate who was uninterested in the traditional four-year college path. She found out about our partnership with Target and decided to apply to be a part of our cohort apprenticeship. To our (and Target’s) delight, she was a standout among participants. After the cohort apprenticeship, she was offered full-time employment making over $50,000 annually. Can you imagine coming out of high school making more than anyone in your family has ever made? Can you imagine the shift in generational wealth and access that it would provide? Many of us take these things for granted, but for individuals in Black communities who come from generational poverty, this is a game-changer. We are here to change the game for Black and Brown communities.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes!

Earlier this year we had the privilege of participating in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) inaugural “Unconference” event. This event included several elected officials and organizations from around the country dedicated to charting a path forward to increase Black American inclusion at all levels of the tech industry. This was a powerful opportunity for Dream Corps TECH to bring the voices and experiences of those closest to the problem to individuals in congress who have the power to create policy and mechanisms for accountability that will change their own experience. Stay tuned, more to come!

We are also excited to be working on Black Future Weekend 2022, set to occur on June 24–26, 2022 in Miami, FL! Black Future Weekend is a community-centered event focused on breaking down the barriers of access between those in the Black community and the tech sector. During Black Future Weekend, we celebrate Black culture, Black tech talent, and create a space that informs and inspires those who see themselves as the future of tech.

Lastly, we are continuing to scale the impact of our cohort apprenticeship programming so that we can continue to create sustainable pipelines into the tech sector for individuals who come from under-resourced and under-represented communities.

These efforts help communities by offering access to experts in the tech sector and power brokers in government. They also directly impact their lived experience. We have the unique opportunity to completely shift the quality of life of those who join our network. That is a privilege rarely afforded to those in the tech sector.

What would you advise to another tech leader who initially went through years of successive growth, but has now reached a standstill. From your experience do you have any general advice about how to boost growth or sales and “restart their engines”?

The general advice that I would give any leader is to reconnect with your why and reexamine who and what is informing your decisions. I believe that more companies need to take a collective leadership approach. This would encourage leaders to jointly envision what their impact should be, make sense of their experiences and interactions, and shape their decisions and actions to produce desired outcomes.

Many of us get into this work as engineers. Engineers have the task of building and designing solutions to problems. When you begin achieving that initial success, your focus shifts from creating solutions to sustaining that success. Sustaining success requires an entirely different set of priorities that can easily take you away from your initial motivations. For example, my “why” is the Liberation of Black communities — by any means necessary. Meaning, I am interested in amplifying and finding solutions to the needs of Black communities, by any means necessary. That “why” serves as the compass I return to when I find myself philosophizing about solutions versus connecting to those closest to the problem who can provide innovative solutions and help identify creative resources.

Do you have any advice about how companies can create very high performing sales teams?

No. Our work provides direct service to individuals who are seeking new career opportunities within the tech sector. However, Our work provides direct service to individuals who are seeking new career opportunities within the tech sector, so this is not my area of expertise. However, a couple of our cohorts have focused on preparing Black folks for positions of leadership in Business Development and Sales. One of the key takeaways from this programming is asking the questions “what problem is this solving, and what value am I creating?” on behalf of your customers.

In your specific industry what methods have you found to be most effective in order to find and attract the right customers? Can you share any stories or examples?

I have found success attracting the right customer/constituent by having a clear “what”, “how”, and “who”. I am also constantly reflecting on the vision our team established for the work.

I have learned that we all suffer from what is known as the “paradox of choice”. When presented with too many options, we either take too long to make a choice, or we do not make a choice at all. Companies should keep this in mind. Their goals should be bold, clear, and actionable. Your asks should be simple. What should your customers/constituents be doing? Do you have something for them to plug into to maximize buy-in?

For example, Dream Corps TECH is focused on creating entry-level tech sector pipelines for Black and Brown communities. Therefore, we ask our members to invite members of their networks to participate in our cohort apprenticeship programming or our community education programs. We are also examining relevant federal policy that supports corporate workforce transparency and accountability (another barrier to tech sector diversity). These very specific goals help us create customer/constituent profiles that help us identify and attract the right people.

Based on your experience, can you share 3 or 4 strategies to give your customers the best possible user experience and customer service?

1. Create visuals that represent them and their communities. As both a creator and consumer, I am personally drawn to organizations and campaigns that reflect or impact my lived experience.
2. Make it relevant. Sometimes when we design products and/or solutions to solve complex problems, we lose our audience simply because they do not understand HOW our product or solution is addressing the problem. Make it clear, make it accessible.

2a. Make language and data accessible and customer/constituent friendly. Organizations that use data or language that is too jargon-y or inaccessible, you lose the very audience they are trying to attract.

3. Customer support accessibility is essential. If I am engaging with your product or program and I have questions, how easy is it for me to get answers? Does your website have a chat feature. If not, do you have staff who can respond to inquiries quickly? These simple things have a huge impact on the user experience.

As you likely know, this HBR article demonstrates that studies have shown that retaining customers can be far more lucrative than finding new ones. Do you use any specific initiatives to limit customer attrition or customer churn? Can you share some of your advice from your experience about how to limit customer churn?

As a young tech program providing direct, time-limited services to its members, we are still examining our churn rate to determine what initiatives we need to engage in to maximize post-service engagement.

Here is the main question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a very successful tech company? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Stay tuned in to YOUR WHY? During my early days as a climate justice field organizer, a wonderful trainer in Kentucky took us through an exercise called “the five whys.” You’d write down (or say aloud) the reason you’re starting your project (Your first why). After you state your reason, you’d ask yourself WHY again (your second why) and write down that reason. You’d do this sequence a total of five times, and by the time you reach your fifth why, that is your REAL why. I always encourage people I work with on campaigns, projects, or even non-profits to know WHY they do what they do!
2. Expect sacrifice — In my years working with both elected officials and entrepreneurs, the one thing they all say to me is that sacrifice is inevitable. One entrepreneur (a woman of color) shared the story of how she had to sell her home and her car to raise the capital she needed to pay an app developer. These stories are commonplace for most, if not all, individuals launching their own companies.
3. Maintain a growth mindset — A hard truth for many of us to accept is that we don’t know what we don’t know. Dr. Carol Dweck coined the theory of the growth mindset. In her book of the same title, Dr. Dweck details how some of the world’s most brilliant thinkers have adopted the mindset that their most basic abilities can be strengthened and developed through hard work and dedication. Adopting a mindset of continuous growth and improvement keeps you open-minded and, most of all, humble.
4. Identify and stay engaged with your tribe or community — Leadership is lonely. Being a leader of color is even lonelier. There is no way to quantify the value of having a community of other leaders and entrepreneurs (and leaders and entrepreneurs of color) around you. There is a therapeutic technique called “normalizing.” Normalizing is a powerful tool because it assists in the reduction of anxiety and other emotions that will undoubtedly arise when an individual is moving through life. In leadership and especially in the development of a successful tech company, negative emotions will arise, and your ability to lean on your tribe or community to normalize these emotions benefits your long-term mental and emotional well-being.
5. Celebrate the small wins — So many of us want to solve problems that have plagued marginalized communities for centuries, or we are looking to create opportunities that solve for the future. Either way, we have to make celebrating small wins standard practice. In my years of consulting, I have seen leaders act as if $5-$10K donations were not a big deal. They’d minimize the donations to being simply “a drop in the bucket”. While it is true that it takes millions of dollars to successfully run a business, it is a missed opportunity not to acknowledge the value of every dollar someone externally contributes to your vision. Not to mention the flood of brain chemicals that give us feelings of pleasure and motivation to keep moving forward in our efforts.

While it is true that it takes millions of dollars to successfully run a business, it is a missed opportunity not to acknowledge the value of every dollar someone externally contributes to your vision. Not to mention the flood of brain chemicals that give us feelings of pleasure and motivation to keep moving forward in our efforts.

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Here are the final “meaty” questions of our discussion. You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would outlaw the word, “Nigg*r”. I would make it illegal to say or communicate any messages using that word in a derogatory manner.

The precedent that making that word illegal would set would have ripple effects across every industry in this nation. I believe it would also force all of us to deal with the structural, institutional, and even internal anti-blackness and unconscious bias that exists in most Americans.

We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

I’d have to say, I’d love to have lunch with venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya. I am passionate about identifying pathways and opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to get the capital needed to realize their dreams. I believe that Chamath’s experience and knowledge of the space would offer me perspective and ideas on how to manifest my vision.

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!

Thank you for this opportunity!