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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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Victoria Monét candidly discusses weight gain caused by PCOS

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Victoria Monét, PCOS, Black women with PCOS, Black womens health, Black womens reproductive health, theGrio.com

When Victoria Monét wowed the audience during her performance on the 2024 Coachella Festival, she said she had “two moons” supporting her on stage.

In an Instagram Stories post that included a shot taken during her performance, the “On My Mama” singer got candid in regards to the effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) on her body.

“Welp.. I gained a lot of weight and it went to a lot of places lol, face, arms, stomach and most importantly… datassss,” she captioned a photograph of the Grammy winner standing along with her back to the group because the moon shone brightly above, per person.

She added: “I’m usually very critical and frustrated about it because PCOS has really screwed me up, but optimistically, at least there are two moons on the scene now.”

According to certainly one of the country’s leading hospitals, Mayonnaise clinic, PCOS “is a hormonal problem that occurs during the reproductive years.” This condition could cause excess androgens within the body, resulting in irregular periods or no periods for long periods of time. Other symptoms may include cysts developing along the periphery of the ovaries, ovarian complications, severe pimples and, Monét noted, weight gain.

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Although research continues to be modest, in response to Centers for Disease Control and PreventionPCOS affects roughly 6% to 12% (or 5 million) of ladies of reproductive age. It is difficult to conclude how common this condition is amongst black women because many individuals, especially black women, are underdiagnosed. However, one study published in a journal National Library of Medicine a study of 174 white women and 195 black women aged 18–45 found that 4.7% of white women and three.4% of black women suffered from the disease.

The Instagram post is not the primary time Monét has spoken candidly about her reproductive health. In September, the singer-songwriter opened up Own warehouse in regards to the difficult experience of giving birth to her first child, Hazel, whom she welcomed via an unexpected C-section in February 2021 along with her partner, John Gaines. She also noticed how motherhood affected her sense of self.

“After Hazel was born, I went into complete depression. I was very hard on myself, just judgmental and worried about what I looked like and what I had. It’s just living in the past, which is preparation (for the feeling of failure),” she said. “(But) you’ve got to think ahead. It was a struggle to feel good regardless of what size I used to be on the time. So if I am going to Disneyland with Hazel, I won’t worry in regards to the churro because we’re only at Disney for in the future.



This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Tiffany Haddish begins to share her journey towards peace in the face of a difficult past

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Tiffany Haddish memoir

Tiffany Haddish is finished with fame, but she will be able to’t wait to see what’s next in her life.

As she prepares for the May 7 release of her recent memoir, “I Curse You with Joy,” the sequel to 2017 New York Times bestseller “The Last Black Unicorn,” the comedian and actress is opening up about her journey to find peace amid controversy – which she says began with her decision to remove alcohol from her eating regimen People Magazine.

“This is my challenge to people. Stop drinking for six months and just see how your life changes,” Haddish said. “You will get your kidnapped body back, you will notice that your relationships will probably be higher, and you’ll stop hanging out with people you haven’t got to cope with.”

Tiffany Haddish speaks on stage during the 2023 ESSENCE™ Cultural Festival at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 1, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

“My problem was,” she said, “I woke up next to ugly men.”

Police arrested the “Girls Trip” star in Georgia in January 2022 after finding her asleep at the wheel. She was charged with driving under the influence and improper stopping. In November, police found her sleeping in her automobile in the middle of a Beverly Hills intersection, leading to one other DUI arrest in Los Angeles.

“I’m very sober,” she said recently, noting that it’s a key component of her happiness. “I have never had a drink since (the November incident). When I sit and have a look at my life, every thing crazy that has happened is because someone or I had alcohol in our system.

The actress revealed that she can also be celibate, although she is dating.

“They went together,” Haddish said, advocating cutting out alcohol and sex at the same time.

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Haddish’s memoir also forced her to reveal the heartache she experienced during her reproductive health battle, People reported.

The Grammy-winning comedian learned last 12 months that she suffers from endometriosis, a condition in which endometrium grows outside the uterus and may cause pelvic pain.

“I’m pretty sure the devil exists,” Haddish said, “because the first day of my period, regardless of what, the devil goes berserk. “I feel like my life is being turned upside down.”

Although Haddish has learned to deal with her heavy and painful periods, the most serious potential side effect of endometriosis for her is pregnancy loss. The “Haunted Mansion” star revealed that she has suffered eight miscarriages, and although she is not completely convinced about getting married a second time or becoming a mother, part of her wants to.

“I have all this love in me,” Haddish told People, “I should give it to someone who can grow with it.”


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Reimagine self-care with Tamela J. Gordon’s Hood Wellness

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In recent years, it appears that evidently wellness or “self-care” has made its way into everyone’s personal “Top 5” list. From superficial practices like manicures, facials and massages to healthy practices like clean eating, exercise and therapy, wellness routines have taken over the streets of social media. Nevertheless, while the seemingly collective prioritization of self-care has encouraged more people to give attention to themselves, for a lot of this trend stays an aspirational lifestyle.

The reality is that popular wellbeing advice shouldn’t be all the time available, especially for people living outside a certain tax bracket. Does this mean that self-care is reserved for certain socioeconomic groups?

For writer Tamela J. Gordon, the reply isn’t any. In his upcoming book “Hood Wellness: Stories of Social Welfare from People Who Drowned on Dry Land,” Gordon offers a brand new perspective on well-being that’s grounded in inclusive, free and low-cost self-care practices and, most significantly, the ability of community.

As a longtime advocate of self-care, Gordon has participated in several popular health trends, similar to hot yoga. Still craving something more, the writer quickly realized that trendy, IG-ready wellness classes weren’t enough.

“I used to be comfortable about it, but I used to be absolutely miserable. That’s when I spotted that what I believed was the reality about well-being wasn’t actually true in any respect,” she explained. “I desired to go to therapy and do what I call ‘nasty treatment’.”

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After years of counting on self-care and wellness to beat poverty, addiction and dissatisfaction, Gordon admitted her struggles and asked for help to combat them. With the assistance of her community, the New York native moved to Florida, where she was not only in a position to get the assistance she needed to heal physically and mentally, but additionally hosted a three-day retreat in her home for people searching for inexpensive mental health support.

Completely changing her views on wellness and community healing, Gordon’s experience revealed the ability that may be present in community. As a queer black woman, she was particularly inquisitive about the ways through which healing presented itself in marginalized communities. While the term “hood wellness” partially refers to her own budget-friendly approach to self-care, Gordon explains that “hood” means greater than just socioeconomic status.

“The cladding is really multi-functional in the sense that it literally (represents) my location. Where I live has a lot to do with my ability to take care of myself…the hood plays a role in my safety, comfort, convenience and so on,” she said. “So housing will always be a topic of discussion (that comes up), but so does the concept of hood in its social meaning.”

Going beyond the inner-city connotations often associated with the word “hood,” Gordon’s philosophy emphasizes the community that may be present in neighborhoods

“In every center I have ever been to, there are always people who become sources of information and resources. “Whether you’re trying to cash in on food stamps or you want to know which bus goes to which building, there’s always someone in that building or on that block or in that neighborhood who (offers a little guidance),” Gordon explained, adding, “that’s what this is how the hood becomes unique.”

Understanding the nuances of the Black experience, the Kirkus Star-winning book features stories from other authors about their very own journeys to physical and mental well-being, showing how well-being practices can impact a person’s relationship with their body, identity and rights. From terminal illness and police violence to accepting gender identity in a society that consistently undermines and attacks the rights of trans and queer people, each story reflects the present political, racial and gender climate in America while difficult similarly oppressive systems deeply rooted within the health and wellness industry. well-being.

“As their stories unfold, we see that some voices are being underestimated because of their intersectionality, which impacts not only the community but also the individual,” Gordon said, highlighting the contributions of activists like Claudette Colvin and Tarana Burke to the book. “That’s how wellness tends to intersect and really impact us based on our identities, our communities, and how much (we) have to actually fight for (our) rights.”

Importantly, Gordon clearly states that Hood Wellness shouldn’t be a guide to well-being. Describing herself as “an explorer who takes good notes” reasonably than an authority, the writer hopes that her and other authors’ health research will encourage readers to explore what the concept of self-care and well-being might appear like for them.

“My well-being is a hood; my mood is ugly. I like candles and bubbles and all that shit. But I also like the unique information that (I can) only get from home… from the community,” Gordon explained. “I want people to know that Hood Wellness is truly an experience. That’s funny. This makes you think. It’s emotions on both sides. I think people will be truly surprised at how inspired and entertained they will walk away.”




This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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