Do you know the history of black people in the digital world?
The media often discusses the lack of diversity in the tech industry and the negative effects this has on creativity, insight, and workplace culture. There are also many headlines on the challenges faced by black people in digital societies that are reflective of biases and prejudice that are also faced offline. One area that is not as often highlighted is the positive impact black people have had on technological development, as well as the influence they have on global digital culture today.
Black History Month takes place every October in the UK to recognise and celebrate the contributions of black people in the UK and across the world. Many schools and academic institutions still teach a curriculum where the historic achievements and discoveries made by Africans and the African diaspora are often overlooked, ignored or distorted.
In celebration of Black History Month in the UK, the digital capabilities service at the University of Kent is releasing a series of blog posts discussing the experience of black people in the digital world. These posts will showcase the power and influence of many black technologists, inventors, and pioneers of our global digital society as well as explore the historical and modern struggles faced by black people regarding access, representation, skills development.
There are many black trailblazers in the world of computer science, including those who developed computer technology that the world relies on to this day. We hope by sharing stories like these, we will open the minds and hearts of those in our community, and beyond, to see the importance and value that each individual can bring to the digital world.
The University of Kent has launched a new Digital Capabilities service to offer staff and students the opportunity to discover, access, and utilise the full breadth and depth of digital tools available to support their learning, teaching and research.