5 Black Leaders in Tech

Black History Month is an annual celebration where we get to recognize the different achievements that African Americans have achieved here in the United States.

We’d like to highlight five African Americans in tech that have broken barriers and paved the way for others in the industry to flourish.

Mary Jackson: Mary Jackson was a mathematician and aerospace engineer. She became widely recognized in the movie the Hidden Figures. In 1951, she began working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as a “human computer” and later became the first Black female engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. After Jackson realized that she would no longer be promoted or be able to receive a managerial position, she left NASA and went on to become a human resources administrator. She helped other women and minorities advance in their careers.

Evelyn Boyd Granville: In 1949, she became the second Black woman to receive a PhD in mathematics from Yale. After completing her PhD, she went on to work for IBM as a computer programmer in 1955. At IBM, Evelyn Boyd Granville helped create a computer software that helped analyze satellite orbits for NASA space programs. In 1967, she taught computer programming at California State University in Los Angeles and was a strong advocate for STEM education.

Roy Clary Sr.: Often referred to as “Godfather of Silicon Valley”. Roy Clay Sr. is known for his influence in developing new software for Hewlett-Packard (HP) computers in the 1960’s. In 1965, he became Hewlett-Packard’s software engineer and played an important role in HP’s rise into the world of technology. Clay was also very involved in his community. He created programs to help African Americans get into Silicon Valley and was involved in organizations that helped improve the lives of those in the community, such as Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club and JobTrain.

Marsha Rhea Williams: In 1982, Marsha Williams became the first African American to earn a PH.D in Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. After receiving her doctorate she went on to teach at Tennessee State University and the University of Mississippi in Oxford. In 1990, she became a fully tenured professor at Tennessee State University for their Computer Science department. She directed Project MISET (Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology). Williams also worked at IBM but just like Evelyn Boyd Granville, she was also a big supporter of STEM education.

Marc Regis Hannah: He’s an electrical engineer and a graphic designer. In 1982, he co-founded Silicon Graphics (SGI) with 6 others. His company is well known for its computer graphics technology which have been used in movies like Jurassic Park, Aladdin, Beauty and Terminator. The technologies that he developed at Silicon Graphics were also used in films produced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Hannah holds a dozen patents and in 1995 was awarded the Kilby International Young Innovator award and Black Engineer of the Year Technical Contribution Award.

We are so proud of the change that these individuals have made in tech! Do you know of anyone else that has left a big mark in the industry? Share them below!

Sources:

https://www.hackreactor.com/blog/black-software-engineers-throughout-history

​​https://www.energy.gov/articles/five-fast-facts-about-evelyn-boyd-granville

​​https://www.biography.com/scientist/mary-winston-jackson

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-marsha-rhea-1948/

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hannah-marc-regis-1956/

https://paloaltohistorymuseum.org/moments-in-history-roy-clay-sr/