Africa is historically known for its creativity and innovation. Yet today, Black communities all across the globe seem to be very limited in the opportunities available to develop advanced skills in technology. Black and Brown people are tremendously underrepresented in the Information and Technology sector, especially within the U.S.
In the United States, racism and racial segregation have resulted in Black Americans and communities of color having extremely limited access to modern information and technology. Today, Black people in America continue to have very little access to technology in comparison to our White counterparts. Factors such as lack of required resources for the community, inadequate financial support, and misguided programs have all contributed to this lack of accessibility. This divide has stripped our communities of opportunities to learn, explore and master modern technology. As a result, African-Americans and other minority groups in America have been greatly underrepresented where information and technology are concerned.
The underrepresentation of African Americans and other minorities in the context of information technology manifests in various ways. Black and Brown people are grossly underrepresented in employment within I.T. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of information and technology personnel are white, as noted by (Graham, 2004. 307). The remaining portion is left out for other minority factions including African Americans. Employees at Google and Apple portray a clear picture of the racial underrepresentation in technology as they account for over 50 percent of whites in these companies, (Graham, 2004. 307). In addition, quite a number of those who succeed in getting employment in the information and technology sectors report mistreatments and racial biases at the workplace as asserted by Wynn et al (2003).
Education is another example of spaces where African Americans are represented in matters of information technology, with most students being admitted in humanity studies as opposed to science, technology, and math (Trajkovski 2006). Could this be the result of Black youth feeling disconnected from these subjects? Limited access to technology has deprived Black youth of opportunities to fully indulge in experiences that could help them develop a foundational understanding of the Information and Technology field, and the opportunities within it. This deprivation of opportunity and exposure result in the underrepresentation of people of color within the sector, and has consequently left Black and Brown communities at a tremendous disadvantage in terms of our opportunities for growth.
References
Graham, S., (2004). The Cybercities Reader. New York: Psychology Press.
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Trajkovski, G. (2006). Diversity in information technology education: issues and controversies. Hershey PA, Information Science Pub.
Wynn, E. H., Whitley, E. A., Myers, M. D., & Degross, J. I. (2003). Global and Organizational Discourse about Information Technology: IFIP TC8 / WG8.2 Working Conference on Global and Organizational Discourse about Information Technology December 12-14, 2002, Barcelona, Spain. Boston, MA, Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35634-1.