Black Excellence, Opulence, Decadence
Why I’m Proud To Be Black
“I’d rather die enormous than live dormant” — Hov
Growing up in Richmond, VA, I was blessed with daily home cooking from my grandmother.
Safe to say, I was a plump child.
In addition to being chubby, I was hella light skinned. So I got picked on 😂
Not only was I the fat kid. I was the “white boy”.
It’s interesting to sit as an adult and reflect on identity and self-esteem.
As I thought about that this week, I pondered about what it meant for me to be Black.
I also reflected on the beautiful impact Black and Brown faces have been making in Tech, Film & Business lately.
Here’s my short story on being Black in America, being Black in Tech and my favorite examples of Black Excellence that give me life!
Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself
Growing up I had to balance this duality of, knowing I was black, but being picked on for not being black “enough”.
On top of that I loved Math & Science, so I was a geek too.
This juggling act was frustrating as a kid!
Despite it all, I loved and excelled at Basketball. Which is how I got my street cred from the kids that thought I wasn’t black enough.
Quite frankly, I could ball!
Years later, this plump country child went on to secure a degree in Mathematics from Rutgers University.
Without a basketball scholarship.
Guess it pays to be a geek 😎📚📊.
When I moved to the Bay Area in 2016 to become a Career Coach with Dev Bootcamp, I was a little culture shocked by the lack of people who looked like me in downtown SF.
Previously, I was blessed to have worked at a community bank where the CEO AND Board of Directors were Black Men and Women.
So the tech scene in the Bay was shocking. It had me like…
More and more though, I started to see examples of how black culture was impacting tech. That’s when I began to truly flourish.
The Blacker The Berry
I don’t have to sit here and list the stats for you.
Let’s be real. There’s a substantial melanin deficit in tech.
Despite the stats, we show time and time again why diversity and black culture matters!
Consider Nextplay Events, founded by Lesley Toche.
“Nextplay solves diversity challenges in the technology industry through entertainment.”
Lesley and his team are building community through Jam Sessions.
Events that promote and connect professionals of color with tech companies!
Nextplay’s 3 pillars? — Community. Opportunity. Culture. ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽
Subscribe to Nextplay.
And make sure you don’t miss out on events like this one!
I’m also inspired by the work LaFawn Davis is doing at Twilio. Last week they hosted Hidden Figures: A Celebration Of Black Excellence And Achievement.
The night was filled with…Culture Cookies, smooth sounds from Armand Carr (host of The Quiet Storm on KBLX) and a ground breaking panel discussion lead by LaFawn.
The panelists included:
Lisa Gelobter, CEO and Founder of Tequitable
Baron Davis, former NBA All-Star turned Tech Entrepreneur
Marcus Bullock, CEO of Flikshop
Lisa’s resume scares, impresses and inspires me all at the same time. Armed with a degree in Computer Science from Brown University, she’s worked everywhere from BET to The White House.
Can I get a Z-Snap?
Baron began investing his NBA salary early on in his career. He fired his agent, represented himself and later became one of the original investors for Vitaminwater.
And Marcus created Flikshop.
One of the most impactful mobile apps currently out. Simply put, Flikshop “keeps families that suffer from incarceration connected”.
The free app provides incarcerated people the ability to receive postcards from family, friends, and other support organizations. They’ve already shipped postcards to more than 2,200 correctional facilities!
I didn’t have a front row seat, but I was in the back row feeling like…
I was beyond inspired to see these Hidden Figures.
There was no melanin deficit here! Just professionals of color pushing the envelope, while also staying true to community and culture.
I was proud to be in a room where majority of the people looked like me.
An immense thank you to LaFawn, the Twilio team and all of the panelist 🙏
And while I’m thanking people.
Thank you to Morgan DeBaun , Founder and CEO of Blavity, who also reminded us that…
Diversity Matters. || Wakanda Forever.
Let’s continue to uplift Black voices, Black business and Black platforms.
Bish, Don’t Kill My Vibe
February has been full of blessings.
And before the Twilio & Nextplay events inspired me, Black Panther also put the battery in my back. I’ve been charged up ever since I saw it!
Speaking of Black Panther, did you hear about The ‘Black Panther’ Middle School Curriculum that’s gone viral?!
“The curriculum finds ways to engage with the most beautiful aspects of the movie while asking vital questions that are central to its critique.” — Raz Robinson
The Wakanda Curriculum dives into topics like:
- Afrofuturism
- Cultural Representation in Black Panther
- The Legacy of Colonialism in the African Continent
It’s beautiful to know someone is teaching perspectives and history other than the traditional U.S. |European |Anglo-Saxon narrative.
It’s truly inspiring to witness.
This curriculum and the success of Black Panther further validates the value of the Black narrative, Black culture and Black history.
And let’s be clear, we’ve still got a long way to go.
But that’s ok, cuz Kendrick said it best: WE. GONE. BE. ALRIGHT.
With all that being said, I want to end with food for thought and gratitude.
Food For Thought 🔑
Per my brother Daniel Adeyanju —
Always Be Connecting (by adding value)
Always Be Building (solutions that matter)
Always Be Learning (because knowledge is power’s prerequisite)
Gratitude 🙏
Here are just a few of the professionals of color in the Bay (and elsewhere) who are making a ruckus, who give me life, and who have allowed me to flourish!
LaTanya, Sydney, Andrew, Tiara, Erik, Jio, Josh, Wade, Brian, Kabi, Kevin McLeod, Kevin Wiggins, Fred, Anthony, Maurice, Tryston, Kwaku, Ibraheem, Kelvin, Derrick, Tamyra, Omar, Mike M., Mike T., Mannah, Laura, Candace, Iris, Glenn, Rueben, Aidan, Jason & Aja Brown.
Love yall!
