The innovative organization Black Girls Code is expanding. In partnership with General Motors, BGC has launched its Detroit chapter. This partnership aims to increase interest in STEM careers for girls of color. Women of color are underrepresented in STEM fields, especially in technology.
Since 2011, BGC has facilitated workshops to teach girls from underrepresented communities about programming, game design and robotics. A celebration of the Detroit chapter’s launch was held Sept. 12 at the Detroit International Academy for Women. Students from second grade through college participated in a day of activities introducing them to STEM projects.
Later that evening, a panel discussion was held at the Michigan Science Center. BGC CEO Kimberly Bryant, GM EVP of global manufacturing Alicia Boler Davis, and GM chairman and CEO Mary Barra engaged with the audience about their plans to develop sustainable year-round programs that will reach girls across the region. GM will spend more than $10M by the end of this year to advance and improve STEM education.
“Although we’ve hosted workshops in the area off and on since 2012, we are thrilled to officially launch a Black Girls Code chapter in Detroit with the support of GM and other corporate and community partners like Comcast and Wayne State University,” said Bryant. “Our regular programming, launching this fall, will lay a foundation to fully engage girls of color in Detroit and is designed to inspire them to continue their paths as future STEM professionals.”
Black Girls Code has several chapters, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, Tennessee, and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Check out the picture gallery for moments from the festivities of the Detroit launch.
Photo gallery credit: John F. Martin for General Motors
