theGrio’s 100: Kimberly Bryant, leader of Black Girls Code movement

theGRIO’s 100 - Kimberly Bryant is the founder of Black Girls Code. Black Girls Code is a website and movement dedicated in giving young women of color the opportunity to learn how write computer code...

TheGrio Staff

Jan 31, 2014

Who is Kimberly Bryant?

Kimberly Bryant is the founder of Black Girls Code. Black Girls Code is a website and movement dedicated to giving young women of color opportunities to learn how to write computer code. On her website, she explains, “As a freshman in electrical engineering, Fortran and Pascal were the popular languages for newbies in computing and the Apple Macintosh was the new kid on the block.” The Memphis, TN native goes to write , “I remember being excited by the prospects, and looked forward to embarking on a rich and rewarding career after college. But I also recall, as I pursued my studies, feeling culturally isolated. Few of my classmates looked like me.” So she started on a path to bring girls and women of color into the field for which she has so much passion. That path led to Black Girls Code.

Why is Kimberly Bryant in theGrio’s 100?

Since Black Girls Code was launched, Bryant has been honored for her contributions in science. In 2013, she was awarded the White House Champions of Change for Tech Inclusion Award. The award is given to honor people “who are doing extraordinary things to expand technology opportunities for young learners—especially minorities, women, girls, and others from communities historically undeserved or underrepresented in the technical field.” The North California Bay Area resident was also given the Jefferson Award for Public Service, honoring people who do extraordinary things without expectation of reward or recognition.

The mission statement for Black Girls Code is “To introduce programming and technology to a new generation of coders, coders who will become builders of technological innovation and of their own futures.” Every day, Kimberly Bryant demonstrates that she is succeeding in her mission.

What’s next for Kimberly Bryant?

With the growing success of Black Girls Code, expect Bryant to encourage women of color to succeed in other aspects of business as she has excelled as an influential manager in companies such as Genentech, Novartis, Merck and Pfizer.

For more information on BlackGirlsCode click here.