Who Is Coding Black Females?

In 2021, women made up 26% of the computing workforce, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). Out of that, 12% were women of color, and 3% were Black, despite Black people making up around 14% of the U.S. population. Even when Black women land tech jobs, they often face challenges specific to their demographic.

Coding Black Females is an organization determined to rectify this imbalance and offer support to Black women across the industry. Sometimes, even just knowing that you are not alone can be a tremendous help.

They offer resources such as learning material, information on bootcamps that offer scholarships, and a job board. Most importantly, though, they offer community. Members can get together online and in person, share moments of inspiration or struggles, and connect with others who are in similar situations.

Coding Black Females aims to provide career support and professional connections that Black women might not otherwise find within their workplace. Founded in 2017, the nonprofit group hosts regular virtual meetups so that Black women can build relationships with each other and develop their support networks.

Events include professional development workshops and lectures on critical topics like neurodiversity and chronic illness in the technology industry. A blog on the organization’s website and a Coding Black Females podcast allow Black women to share their experiences in the field.

The group’s #VisibleInTech campaign profiles Black women who work in computer science, highlighting their accomplishments.

In addition to hosting events and networking opportunities, the group provides members with several resources to help them grow in their careers. Members can join a mentorship program as a mentee or as a volunteer mentor. The organization also publishes a job board, with positions like full-stack developer and technical analyst in locations around the world.

Coding Black Females also gives back to its members’ communities. A back-to-school drive gives students the technological equipment they need to succeed in school. The group also offers free resources for children and adults to help them start studying coding languages, and members get discounts on programs like the Makers bootcamp.

In addition to providing resources and community, Black Coding Females is opening up two new bootcamp programs called Black Codher. One is a full-stack bootcamp; the other focuses on front-end development.

Black Codher was first established in 2020 when Coding Black Females and Niyo Enterprises partnered to engage 50 women over the age of 18 who were either unemployed or underemployed. The programs are centered in the West Midlands, England. Most of the programs are online but only available for students in the UK who earn less than £25,000 a year and can work legally in the UK.

Both programs are suitable for beginners and are free. If needed, Black Coding Females can also help students obtain the necessary equipment. After graduation, the organization will help students find a job with one of their partner employers.

Both bootcamps are part-time, with 2-3 weekly lessons spread out between 24 or 30 weeks. The front-end bootcamp will focus on the fundamentals of coding and front-end coding, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The full-stack bootcamp will focus on those same sections but add full-stack development and working with databases.

In addition to the coursework, both bootcamps invite all students to attend Empowerment Days, where they will meet and learn from Black women in various tech roles.

Coding Black Females claims to be the largest organization of Black women in tech in the UK, but their official numbers are not public. They have nearly 9,000 followers on Twitter and nearly 7,000 on Instagram.

Joining Coding Black Females is totally free. You can sign up here and select what kind of content you wish to receive from them, including extras like job alerts and events and opportunities.

In addition to bootcamps, Coding Black Females offers a variety of other courses that last anywhere from ten to thirty weeks. Recent courses include Technical Architecture and Leadership, Return to Tech, DevOps and Cloud, and Python with Machine Learning.