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Technology is stronger when Black women and girls are included

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OPINION: If we are serious about increasing representation within the tech industry, we’d like to take a more proactive approach to creating technology a field where girls of color will be represented.

As slightly girl, there was nothing I used to be an element of or experienced that told me I could have a profession in tech.

I had supportive parents who exposed me to quite a lot of activities. I did well in class – I used to be especially good at math, so I joined the maths club and competed in math competitions, and I used to be a cheerleader, dancer, and athlete. But all the things I learned about technology, I learned by simply discovering it by myself. Like many girls of my generation, my first foray into coding and technology was designing the proper Myspace page.

When I saw myself in the longer term, I saw a successful dancer. Even though I used to be really intelligent, I didn’t care about being smart; I desired to be seen as a cool, funny person. And it wasn’t until my dad realized I used to be serious about majoring in dance in college that he intervened and began helping me explore profession paths that will construct on my academic strengths – and gave him the peace of mind that got here with profession stability. No one in my family had ever been a pc engineer, but my dad suggested I pursue it because I used to be good at math and science, and more importantly, because he thought it was a more viable profession path than being knowledgeable dancer.

Now, when I look back, I see that there was something inside that pushed me towards technology, engineering or problem solving, but I also realized that we have now so much more work to do to get girls of color enthusiastic about technology fields.

If we are to be serious about increasing representation within the tech industry – and we needs to be, not simply because it is the precise thing to do, but because technology works higher when it is programmed to incorporate a various set of perspectives and experiences – then we’d like to take a more proactive approach to inclusion society and making technology a field where girls of color can see themselves and their experiences.

When we take into consideration technology, what’s necessary is that you could create consumer technology that everybody can use. Having a various group of engineers working in your product also ensures that the programs you publish are ethically created and accessible to everyone. Remember when Snapchat and Instagram first introduced filters that did not recognize dark faces? This is an ideal example of how necessary diversity is in engineering; these developers didn’t even consider the necessity for test cases that included darker-skinned people within the early stages of development. This was eventually corrected, however it was an embarrassing omission that will have been rectified naturally if darker-skinned engineers had been involved from the start.

An excellent development team understands the importance of getting as many informed inputs and data points as possible and going through an in depth testing phase during R&D. However, it still happens that folks bring their very own experiences, perspectives, worldviews, and even biases to the code they write.

Large corporations made efforts to diversify their workforce, but years later we saw a mass exodus of the identical people. This signifies that it is not enough to easily recruit more people of color and more women to work; to support these people, a cultural change in technology is crucial. When I used to be actively working as an engineer, it didn’t matter what project I used to be working on, what city I used to be in, who the project was for, or what the job was, I used to be all the time the one black girl. I had never had a girl manager, and I used to be overcome with the sensation that my job was only about getting cash and that it didn’t matter what microaggressions I or other women – especially black women or other women of color – faced. The most significant thing was a very powerful thing.

I once quit my job and my male team took me to a strip club after dinner as a going away party. This event reflected every experience I had and every reason I used to be leaving the sphere – the concept that I should be thankful for this awkward, extremely uncomfortable surprise in a strip club with my friends who all looked the identical, were all members of their very own network of boys and they either didn’t notice or didn’t care how completely inappropriate and uncomfortable this outing was for the supposed guest of honor.

When I founded NOISEMy primary goal was to introduce more girls of color to technology and construct the supportive community around them that I dreamed of. As a really sociable, outgoing engineer, the social aspect was as necessary to me because the profession development element. It was also necessary to me that we provided the girls who participated in our program with a world experience to show them to a world beyond their very own community, while encouraging them to make an impact by teaching other girls all over the world. There is tremendous growth in stepping outside of yourself and learning about other cultures, and I wanted that have for other black and brown girls.

Today, I’m very happy with the work we do, but I still see the necessity for rapid change throughout the technology industry. The shortcomings in technology and workforce are more clearly visible, which makes me blissful that these conversations are no less than happening today. People are trying to higher understand what they will do inside their employees’ culture to make it a more inclusive space, more proactive in fostering a way of belonging and community.

We see ourselves more often on a wider screen – in movies. When Hidden Figures was released, it was an enormous moment for Black girls and Black women in tech. Growing up, I never saw anything like this and I might like to see more of this for our girls growing up today.

But the industry must also proceed to place our money where our mouth is. When it’s not sexy or popular to speculate in black women, people stop doing it, as we have seen recently. We had a moment after George Floyd when it gave the impression of the entire country had great hope concerning the direction of the longer term, but now all the things has modified. And this is disturbing. People are not only silent about what is right, but they are actively attacking Black women and any try to rightly measure what we have now endured for therefore long.

I’ve never felt like I could speak openly about what I used to be experiencing, so we’d like to support more courageous conversations about race and representation in tech and show investment in what we predict we wish to do. One thing I had never seen was women in leadership positions; if there have been individuals who looked like me within the places I worked, they were expert employees, not managers. A deliberate effort should be made to discover and create opportunities for those women, especially women of color, who could also be in low- or mid-level leadership positions, in order that they are intentionally placed on a path where they will see senior-level leadership in the longer term. We have to fund skilled development opportunities and support organizations on the bottom that are working to construct the talent pipeline.

But beyond all of this, we’d like to care and understand that while many individuals see technology as displacing the human element of the workforce, it is actually driven by the human element. We have to get back to caring for people on a human level and understand that the product of our work is stronger, and we are stronger, when we include women and girls of color.


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Tyra Banks, 50, talks graciously about hot flashes, beauty secrets and aging

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She broke barriers, taught us to “smile” and, for higher or for worse, made the not-always-pretty side of the modeling industry a must-see on TV for twenty-four seasons of “America’s Next Top Model,” on which she also co-created and produced . Her famous joke: “We were all rooting for you!” stays timeless, but at 50, Tyra Banks also advocates for a brand new perspective on aging.

“What my life is now is completely different from what I thought it would be like when I was 50 when I was a little girl,” Banks said. People Magazine for “The Beautiful Issue”, which, as a part of the magazine’s fiftieth anniversary celebration, highlights celebrities over 50. The supermodel, who made history as the primary Black woman to seem on the quilt of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue in 1999, is currently celebrating latest milestones including a lifetime of entrepreneurship, a successful relationship, and being a “mom” to an 8-year-old son York (whom she shares with ex-boyfriend Eric Asla), and will reach her half-century mark in December 2023.

Tyra Banks, 50, talks graciously about hot flashes, beauty secrets and aging. (Photo by Ian Tuttle/Getty Images for the Breakthrough Prize)

“Pops up. I’m not insecure. I don’t trip,” Banks said. “I often say, ‘Baby, (I’m) 50!’ before I say anything. This statement gives me permission to say regardless of the hell I need to say.

“I couldn’t wait to turn 50 because I felt like it was a rite of passage so I could be my true self,” she later added.

That doesn’t suggest the supermodel is proof against the changes that include middle age, specifically a number of the more infamous symptoms of perimenopause like hot flashes. Reflecting on her own experience, Banks assured women her age that “it’s not the end of the world.” In fact, it may possibly provide much-needed “me time,” she says.

“Use that point whenever you get up in the course of the night to simply do a number of things because it’s going to wake you up. Read this book; do that crossword. Watch the top of this system that amazed you a lot,” she advised. “Don’t worry about it. Don’t be ashamed of it, because (we) will all undergo it, and now we will do it together and talk about it, which is absolutely cool and significantly better than what our parents needed to do: Just hold on and pretend it doesn’t I’m crazy. -Isn’t that the sun? Without children. It’s you and there’s nothing improper with that, baby.

Banks in an analogous approach to the aesthetics of aging; although she hasn’t fully entered her “gray era” yet, she is open-minded and inspired by other celebrities who’ve embraced gray.

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“I remember gray hair used to be like, oh, you just hid it. You didn’t show it; it was a no, no,” he recalls. “Now I see women saying it. “I’m grey. And not only is it OK, it’s amazing, it’s beautiful. …And I find it amazing.”

“I’m very, very lucky that I had a mom who wasn’t obsessed with aging in a negative way,” Banks added. “She has gray hair, she loves her gray hair. She would like to have more gray hair. I think it taught me not to be afraid of getting older. I’m not afraid of it. I consider it a privilege and I think it’s because of my mom.”

Another thing Banks gets from his former “mom” Karolina London? A proven and extremely accessible beauty secret. “She was also very fond of Vaseline; she was rubbing Vaseline all over her eyes,” Banks recalled. “And I used to be a Vaseline girl too. Now I’ve switched to other things, but now and again I take Vaseline and think: “Maybe that’s why I don’t have wrinkles.”

At 50 years old, Banks apparently not only looks great, but in addition looks to the long run with less fear.

“I bit my tongue, said the right thing (and tried) to please everyone my whole life,” she admitted. “And now I’m telling the reality. I demand respect. And that is good. I am unable to wait until I’m 60 because I’ll probably curse everyone.



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John Legend and Chrissy Teigen want to feed your dog

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John Legend and Chrissy Teigen love animals a lot that they want to provide them with access to the best quality food.

The couple, who’re proud owners of 4 dogs, announced that they’re teaming up professionally for the primary time to start a pet food company, Kismet. The legend has been told People Magazine in an exclusive interview that this latest enterprise couldn’t be a greater fit for the couple.

“We’ve been pet parents for so long and it’s so central to who we are and what our home is and who we are as people, and we felt like, ‘Let’s do this together,'” the “All of Me” singer said.

Legend explains how their love for dogs began with the primary dog Teigen adopted in 2008, an English bulldog named Puddy.

(L-R) Chrissy Teigen and John Legend attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones on the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

“Obviously we love dogs, we love food, we love the culture and community around dogs and being a pet parent. And we thought: why not? Let’s create our own dog food and create a brand that celebrates dog culture and community and connects pet parents across the country,” the dog dad explained.

Kismet, officially launched on May 1, is available online. The brand offers two varieties of dog food, 4 several types of treats and high-quality gadgets for dog lovers. The brand’s products, prepared with the assistance of certified veterinarians, are characterised by high-quality ingredients, animal by-products and pre and probiotics.

The brand also prides itself on accessibility. Currently, the dog food is accessible in two different sizes: a 9-pound bag for $44 and a 19-pound bag for $79.99, which is comparable to the highest brands on mainstream food market shelves. Consumers may subscribe to the brand and receive a partial discount. According to the Kismet website, proceeds from each purchase go to support Kismet Cares and its beneficiaries: Project Street Vet and Paws for Life.

The list of Black-owned or partially Black-owned pet businesses remains to be short, although inclusive Ava’s animal palace, Trill Paws, and others. Kismet will join Pet plate in the marketplace as one among the few dog food brands with a Black founder.

Legend and Teigen emphasized to People how much their love for their very own canine children led them to launch the brand. Together they own a basset hound named Pearl, a French bulldog named Penny, a poodle named Petey, and their newest addition, Pebbles. Legend has it that the dogs accompanied the couple “at every celebration and every tragedy.”

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“We also had to mourn the dogs together,” he continued. “Our first two dogs are not any longer with us and this was the primary time we truly mourned the lack of Puddy together. When you undergo these experiences together, it is going to help construct the character of your relationship.

As we all know, pets and their owners often share similar characteristics. While Teigen stated that she most resembles their dog Pearl, Legend stated that she most resembles Petey the poodle.

“He’s our only boy. But I also behave in a different way when I’m going to the hairdresser,” he joked.

Legend has it that he and Teigen selected the name “Kismet” to evoke the otherworldly “bond” that pet owners often have with their pets.

He described the bond as “That feeling of, ‘Oh, I’m so glad we found each other and we’re made for each other’ – and we feel like a lot of pets and their parents feel the same way about each other.”



This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Kerry Washington almost canceled her memories when she learned the truth about her father

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Kerry Washington, Kerry Washington father, Kerry Washington memoir, Kerry Washington Thicker Than Water, Kerry Washington book, Earl Washington, Who is Kerry Washington

An fast bestseller upon publication in September 2023, “Kerry Washington’s.” first memoryThicker than water” was filled with intimate revelations from the actress and producer, including information about her past abortion, struggles with childhood anxiety and early sexual assault. However, perhaps the most groundbreaking revelation was that the “Scandal” star had only recently discovered that her father, Earl Washington, was not her biological parent. As Washington explained to moderator Erica D. Smith at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival on April 20, the revelation almost forced her to back out of the book deal.

“I found out that my dad, who raised me, is not my biological father,” said Washington, per People Magazine. “And it was something my parents had every intention of never telling me, but they were forced to.”

Explaining that the book’s original premise was to concentrate on the lessons learned while portraying popular anti-heroine Olivia Pope, she added: “I felt that if I was going to write about myself, I had to write about deeper truths… I had to include much larger, life-changing information.”

Nevertheless, the decision to proceed the project was difficult; struggling to share his family secret with the world, Washington considered scrapping the project altogether.

“I tried (to pay) the money back and everything, but I finally decided to write this book, even if it was just for me and my kids and not to share it with anyone else,” she told Smith.

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Ultimately, Washington said the discovery deepened her bond with her parents, whilst she processed life-changing and painful recent information.

“My love for him… my love and my intimacy with my parents has deepened through this exchange because I think when we keep secrets, especially family secrets, it is usually because we are so afraid that if the truth comes out , we will win “we will no longer be loved, that we will not be loved, that there will be resentment and anger because of the secret that was kept,” she said. “So I think once the burden of that secret was gone, my parents and I had a lot more space to be who we really are with each other.”



This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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