On November 8 – 9, 2019, the 4th Annual AfroTech took place in Oakland, CA, for the first time. In previous years it was held in San Francisco, CA. AfroTech is the largest technology conference for African-Americans, and it grabs the attention of just about every technology company nationally and internationally. The conference, produced by Blavity, Inc., Morgan DeBaun, Founder, attracted more than 6,000 attendees. During Ms. DeBaun's opening session roll call, more than 80% of the crowd responded to being first-time attendees.
Despite the thousands of talented and qualified candidates of color, Silicon Valley/Bay Area technology companies continue to have a challenge with their hiring practices, which is far beyond a ‘pipeline’ issue. Black employees make up less than 3 percent of the Silicon Valley workforce, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, so the statistics show the lack of diversity is real! Meanwhile, not every young, gifted, and Black genius will wait on a call from a recruiter for a job. These innovative entrepreneurs also attend AfroTech to stay on the pulse of new tech innovations as they sharpen their tools in preparation to pitch their ideas to venture capitalists, employers, celebrities, and also to their colleagues.
The AfroTech EXPO allowed attendees to interact with more than 50 technology companies who, in addition to sharing their Diversity and Inclusion strategy, also gave information on who in their organization to contact for new technology innovation trends. From VR demos to free swag, the AfroTech Exhibit Hall was the hot spot during the two-day conference. The AfroTech outdoor Community Park was held for local technology non-profits to have space ‘at no charge,’ a great give-back from AfroTech. However the only time the majority of the attendees were aware of their existence was during the lunchtime hour. With attendees focused on eating and getting back to their sessions, it was hard for these non-profits to get the attention they very well deserved.
Many powerful and inspiring speakers graced the main stage, including Charlamage, from The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne shared the importance of always inspiring new talent. “You don’t know who’s going to be the next Byron Allen or Charles King. You truly don’t know. So I’m the type of person that if you have a good idea, I will check it out,” he told the audience.
The startup pitch competition proved to be one of the most talked-about events at AfroTech. Several teams of budding tech entrepreneurs pitched their ideas for a chance to win cash. Kliit, a platform that provides on-demand answers to questions about sexual and reproductive health, walked away with $10,000.
The healthcare sessions were well received at AfroTech. Gerren Wilson, Pharm.D., Genentech, Head of Patient Partnerships, Alliance, and Advocacy Relationships shared with a packed audience the importance of advancing inclusive research. “Billions of dollars are invested into clinical research and healthcare, but communities of color are left out of the research equation,” says Mr. Wilson. He further educated the audience on how the industry must be more intentional about ‘precision treatment’, which requires treatment to be done specifically to the particular cells that are impacted without affecting the surrounding cells. While the industry continues to fall far behind with including people of color, particularly Black people, in clinical research studies that advance healthcare technology, Mr. Wilson talked about 23&Me, a genetic research company that allows everyone to be included in the clinical research studies and at the same time learn about ancestry lineage.
Mr. Bernard Tyson @ AfroTech
Many attendees were in high anticipation to hear Mr. Bernard Tyson, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente, speak at AfroTech on November 9, 2019. Mr. Tyson shared powerful leadership tips and also spoke about the advancements Kaiser Permanente is making in healthcare technology, including the use of drones in a way they are still exploring. For all the Black tech millennials and others in the room, this was a high point as there is an opportunity to design technology to pitch to Kaiser. Mr. Tyson also talked about the new medical school Kaiser is building in Southern California, which currently has 11,000 applicants for 48 slots. Each time I’ve heard Mr. Tyson speak he has always been one of the most engaging, thoughtful and intentional speakers by far.
When we found out the next morning that Mr. Tyson passed away in his sleep, one could only gasp for air in disbelief. It was tremendously hard to believe that just a few hours before his sudden passing, a beloved and respected giant in the healthcare industry, throughout the community, and so beloved by Oakland and the entire was no longer with us so quickly. It was an honor to capture this video snippet of Mr. Tyson speaking at AfroTech on November 9th. HERE is the clip.
What’s Next
Now that AfroTech has finished its 4th year of a successful conference, many await the results of recruitment. The technology vendors used iPads to have attendees sign up to be contacted by a recruiter so the wait begins. The ultimate goal of such a conference is to HIRE Black talent into the thousands of open roles the technology companies have available. We hope to hear from AfroTech on how many pepole were interviewed and of that number how many were HIRED. With over 6,000 attendees at AfroTech and more than 50 technology companies exhibiting, each of who have HUNDREDS of openings, it’s hopeful that more than networking and exchanging of great conversation took place at AfroTech.
And go!