Three years ago, Kimberly Bryant, then an engineering manager with an electrical engineering background, decided to create the organization Black Girls Code so that kids like her own daughter, Kai, 15, “could see girls as creators, not just consumers.” It worked. Since 2011, Black Girls Code and its 1,300 volunteers have taught computing skills to 2,500 students, about 75 percent of them African American girls. While all kids are welcome to join, the group reaches out specifically to young women from black, Latina, and Native American communities, since they are the most underrepresented in the industry, Bryant says. “We do try to put a hard line in the sand. We really want the focus on girls.”
Bryant initially recruited volunteers through networking groups such as Women Who Code, and then Google came on board with funds and mentors. Today, Black Girls Code boasts chapters in the Bay Area, Atlanta, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Bryant, who likes to partner with libraries, schools, and universities, expects to form eight more chapters this year. During Black Girls Code classes, about 50 girls, with help from 25 mentors, may build a website or an app, while also drawing inspiration from teaching volunteers...