The next Steve Jobs? Mark Zuckerberg? Bill Gates?
How about a nerdy black girl version of all three?
Check out #BlackGirlsHack.
This non-profit organization is a pioneer in the hackathon community. They represent the first series specifically targeting the African American tech community. Lawrence Watkins from The Grio wrote an article today giving some great publicity to this organization started by two BGN's Kat Calvin and Amanda Spann.
What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and others in the field of software development, like graphic designers, interface designers, project managers and computational philologists, collaborate intensively on software projects.
According to The Grio, this type of event is a coding contest that pits individuals or teams of coders against a challenge. The range of puzzles presented and prizes awarded varies so much it is mind-boggling. Recently, a hacker was awarded $60,000 by Google as part of it’s Pwnium 2 hackathon for breaking the security protocols of the company’s Chrome browser.
Yes, for most of us the term hacking is associated with an illegal offense. However, many software companies are utilizing the skills of hacking to build higher security in their mainframe databases and these contests are a way to connect with the tech community in profound ways. The #BlackGirlsHack organization is closely seaming ties with African Americans and the techie crowd. This will be the first Black hackathon which started in Atlanta. The next event will be in Newark, NJ in March.
To learn more about #BlackGirlsHack you can follow them on Twitter @BlackGirlsHack or visit their website.
