Amplifying the Voices of Women of Color in Computing
Women’s History Month entreats us to honor the figures that are frequently overlooked, to amplify their voices, and to commemorate their contributions to the world we live in today. Writing for Digital Trends’ “Women With Byte” series, Anita George highlights the accomplishments and challenges faced by 5 women computing pioneers, including Dr. Evelyn Boyd Granville, Melba Roy Mouton, Dr. Ellen Ochoa, Qiheng Hu, and Dr. Chieko Asakawa. The work of these pioneers cuts across disciplines and technologies to deliver impact within the domains of space exploration, the Internet, and accessibility research. As George reminds us, “women of color were — and still are — at the forefront of these endeavors. And more than that, their computing contributions helped make the world and its scientific discoveries more accessible for everyone.”
George also reminds us how far-reaching these women's contributions have been. She writes, “it’s worth remembering that these computing achievements could not have occurred without the work of these women and many others like them, without their willingness to push past societal barriers that would have barred them from creating the very innovations we use today”.
Part of CGEST’s mission is to enhance educational and professional outcomes for women and girls of color through STEM competencies; we seek, through knowledge and advocacy, to deconstruct the barriers that exclude women of color from learning, growing, and thriving in these contexts. Our Women of Color in Computing Collaborative, a unique initiative in partnership with the Kapor Center, seeks to develop, test, and scale interventions to diversify the technology workforce. Celebrating the achievements of computing pioneers reaffirms the importance of this mission and highlights the outcomes that are possible when we collectively choose to support women of color in computing.
Featured image courtesy of #WOCinTech Chat wocintechchat.com
