AfroTech: How 48 hours with amazing black entrepreneurs energized my life
The Major Key, Volunteering
Friday was my first time at AfroTech, hosted by Blavity.
This is only their second year hosting the conference, but let me tell you, it was lit. To give you an idea, last year there were about 600 attendees, and this year it ballooned to 1500+ people!
The conference was only 2 days. But in merely 48 hours you’re exposed to 30 powerful speakers, 15 different workshops and even a startup pitch competition.
Tickets are roughly $500+, but it’s a small investment when you consider the people and experience you’re exposed to. I ended up attending for free.99 since I was volunteering. If you’re not sure if you want to spend money on a conference, I highly suggest volunteering.
You get free admission, free lunch, free swag and everything else that comes along with attending.
But don’t get it twisted. Shit ain’t a cake walk.
When I first arrived it was super busy at the check in desk. A little chaotic honestly. But, eventually I was checked in, given a T-shirt, and thrown to the wolves.
I’ve volunteered at other conferences before, but AfroTech reaffirmed and helped me realize that volunteering is extremely useful for personal & professional development. Not only are you networking and hearing the stories of others, but you’re also exposed to a team where most people don’t know each other. So it’s key that you empathize and adapt to other people’s working styles.
If you can’t think on your feet and problem solve, then you’ll really struggle as a volunteer at AfroTech.
Also, disclaimer: don’t volunteer for events and think you’re just going to sit on your ass. Some conferences allow this, but not AfroTech. However, if you genuinely want to give back and help, sign up!
I’ve been to other conferences and some definitely let volunteers just chill. But this past weekend was different. There was work to be done. And I liked that.
When I first arrived, we had hundreds of name badges and none of them were in alphabetical order. This made checking people into the conference extremely difficult.
So as a team, we had to get our shit together and still help everyone.
For the first 15–20 minutes I pretty much felt like this.
But eventually you adjust after you’ve heard all the common FAQ’s everyone has.
I will say that this was the one conference where I was truly volunteering the entire time. Moral of the story….
Volunteering can get you free admission and all the perks of the conference, but be prepared to embrace a little chaos and do the work.
Black & Proud
AfroTech was amazing, refreshing, empowering, comforting
It was live, lit, off the chain
Rarely are you surrounded by 1,500+ black, beautiful and intelligent individuals doing such inspiring work.
It was overwhelming quite frankly. But I felt at home. Between the speakers, attendees and after parties, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and passion.
I was at an afterparty hosted by Lyft at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) and the entire time all I could think was,
This is amazing. I’ve never felt blacker in my life!
I met a woman from Facebook with a Phd. in Advertising (WHAT?!)
Another young woman who has a product that’s changing the beauty & make up space. Bruh, I saw Chamillionaire. Like, what?!
The list goes on. I’m talking Engineers, Product Managers, Venture Capitalists and all sorts of powerhouses from around the globe.
Just an endless amount of black power.
Listen, spending a full 20+ hours with remarkable black entrepreneurs and change-makers had me feeling charged up.
You know how I felt?!
Like SuperMan after he flies up to the sun to absorb energy. You know, right before he’s about to turn up and deliver a super ass whoopin’.
Yea. That’s how I felt.
I felt like a stronger more authentic version of myself. Above all else I had fun, and got to hear stories from folks who traveled from Philly, NYC, Texas and many other parts of the world.
Moving Forward
This conference made me think about how do we make tech blacker?
How do I experience more of the feeling I had at AfroTech?
How do I make sure I stay in touch with all the amazing people I met?
To keep up the momentum and continue uplifting black voices, I’m going to be collaborating with Wade Morgan on the Tech Dirty With Me Podcast.
Wade is in B2B sales at LinkedIn and while at AfroTech we decided it would be dope to give folks perspective on what it means to be in tech sales, and how to position yourself if you decide to explore the field.
Wade was featured in LinkedIn’s “The Real Faces of Sales” campaign (video below) and is making a ruckus on the Account Executive Team. Read more here about Wade and what he’s got going on at LinkedIn.
If you want to tune in when my episode with Wade drops, be sure to follow me on Medium and subscribe below.
Until next time. Stay Black & Stay Proud. We’re here, we’re making a difference and our voices matter now more than ever.
