Black Girls Code recently announced a new nationwide contest created in collaboration with musician Ciara.
Called the “Build a Beat Challenge with Ciara,” the initiative combines music with coding. Aimed at students ranging from the ages of 13 to 18, the contest is dedicated to using technology to create their own songs.
Using tutorials by Black Girls Code on the Infosys Foundation USA’s Pathfinders Online Institute, the students will be able to remix and build music by giving codes, otherwise known as written instructions, to their computer using sounds by artists such as Ciara herself as well as Pharrell and Alicia Keys.
A coalition of judges, including MC Lyte, producer Craig King, TikTok user BoykinZ, producer Bosko Kante as well as Rock The Bells President James Cuthbert, will select the winner.
Through the program, the coder with the best creation will get the chance to have a conversation with Ciara and will receive $10,000 in tech prizes.
“The ‘Build a Beat Challenge with Ciara’ is a chance for Black girls and gender nonconforming youth of color to meet relatable role models and code something that is original and dope,” said the new CEO of Black Girls Code, Cristina Jones, per a statement. “This experience is about increasing learning and a sense of belonging. Solving for both will bring about more opportunities in tech for the girls we serve.”
Created in 2011, Black Girls Code’s main goal is to ensure that one million BIPOC girls enter the tech field in 2040.
The technology industry has long been criticized for its lack of diversity. Black women specifically, have been very underrepresented in the field.
According to a report by the National Centre for Women & Information Technology, only 25% of the tech field is composed of women employees. Out of this 25%, only 3% are Black women. In the UK, the rate of Black women in tech is even lower; only 0.7% of all tech employees are Black women.
For women who are already in the field, they are subjected to bias that may “push women out of STEM jobs,” according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Once in the field, two-thirds of women reported that they had to prove themselves to higher ups.
Black women reported this bias at higher rates with three-fourths of Black women saying that they had their experience undermined and questioned.
Although improvements still need to be made, over the years, more nonprofits have been created to support Black women in the field.
Along with Black Girls Code, Coding Black Females, Global Tech Advocates, Black Women in Tech, Black Women Talk Tech and Black Women in Technology are all dedicated to increasing representation for Black women in tech.
