ONN – More Black Folks In America Need To Learn Computer Programing – Critical Race Theory Won’t Pay Bills – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube
More Black Folks In America Need To Learn Computer Programing – Critical Race Theory Won’t Pay Bills
This is not a left / right debate, or an attack on anyone liberal or progressive (I am tech-left myself). But it’s a call for us a Black Americans to focus on learning programing languages.
I am sympathetic to the calls for Critical Race Theory in schools, but that talk has overshadowed two facts: 1) blacks in America are woefully behind in knowing programming languages and building platforms, and 2) the future is changing such that we have to know how to make platforms to build value.
What Is Critical Race Theory?
Critical Race Theory is defined as how racism in America creates a caste system that keeps Black Americans, in particular, at the lower rung of society. There’s a giant controversy in states like Georgia and Idaho, where Republicans seek to ban teaching of Critical Race Theory in school.
First, the simple fact that someone like Idaho Governor Brad Little would waste his time advancing a ban rather than encouraging tech education, shows he’s completely our of touch with the emerging tech-based human capital economy of today. He’s not even thinking about tech, only about what the latest racist controversy is he can gin up.
Second, anyone who thinks they can get elected by focusing on a stupid conversation like that will be staying home after an election loss. Blacks, whites, Asians, Latinx, anyone intelligent, should not give air to that debate. Just make platforms and currencies.
Third, all Americans get a daily lesson in Critical Race Theory just by watching television and social media. So Governor Little’s already lost the battle. It’s a waste of time – let him waste it. He will lose the next election.
Black folks should avoid this conversation, and go on a website and app building spree. To do that calls for knowing a programing language.
My contention is that what keeps us from the reaching higher levels of society more often is a collective lack of knowledge of programing language and how to build platforms. If you know how to build your own websites and networks, then distributing your own curriculum on on Critical Race Theory becomes popular. If you’re interested in making your own type of cryptocurrency, and do that, you’re building wealth for yourself.
But learning Critical Race Theory will not by itself solve any of the massive wealth problems we as Black Americans face today. It will not build our human capital.
We Must Be Ready For A Future Dominated By Robots
The problem is deep because you can’t count on being a laborer. Why? One word: robots. Robots, another kind of platform made with a programming language, are removing jobs once done by us and it’s happening at a frightening rate.
The rate of increase of use of robots is such that Andrew Yang ran for President of The United States in part on the idea that blacks were going to have zero net wealth by 2050. Zero. Aside from the basic inaccuracy of that, the truth is, in terms of overall wealth direction – Yang is right. That is, unless we turn this path around.
We have to love and embrace the tech that runs our lives. We have to want to make platforms like Facebook, rather than use Facebook. We have to make sure our young have the same desire and choose programming over basketball. Nothing wrong with playing hoops, but there’s something wrong with counting on it for your living considering the small number of people who make it as professionals.
Here, I present the observations of Software Developer Brandon Mendell, who answered the question on Quora “Why are there so few black programmers?” This is what he wrote:
Being an employed black programmer, I can say I do not see too many other blacks employed. Racism? Possibly, but I don’t think just saying “racism” provides any meaningful answers. First lets establish my experience being hired as a programmer.
I started applying for jobs about 4 years ago before I got my associate degree in programming. No calls. Of course, my natural reaction to this growing up is I put something on my resume that made employers uncomfortable. My name sounded “white” enough. I didn’t include a picture. Maybe it was my references? No they sound “safe”.
This sounds kinda messed up right? But in a field largely dominated by whites, you feel like you have to relate to the employer as much as possible. How else would you pick from a collection of similar skill sets?
Is this an example of the affect racism has on black people? Particularly when we reference a black trying to apply for a predominantly white job atmosphere. We never feel comfortable to be ourselves…well probably until you actually get hired and find that co-worker you can connect with. Society has taught us to pretty much relinquish any attachment to our culture on application and even the job, as stereotypes can affect the interview process.
What I eventually found though is that in IT, at least in my experience later, it does not matter. Your race has no effect on the interview process. As soon as I got my associate degree and put it on my resume, I was called in to interview for just about any job I applied for that was suitable for my years of experience. Keep in mind, roughly the same application and references I used two years prior. I turned down a job at IBM to work for the State of Michigan. (I liked the project better).
Why did I go through all that? I found some statistics from the big name IT employers I found were interesting:
Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter, according to the companies’ diversity reports, are on average 56 percent white, 37 percent Asian, 3 percent Hispanic and 1 percent black
What if I told you that most blacks don’t apply for the position at all? There could be several reasons for this. No one as a kid told me I could be a programmer. It defiantly wasn’t popular in my schools—I didn’t even know it was a career choice. Could also be other blacks were discouraged in the process of applying for jobs(like my earlier thoughts) and never finished their CS or programming degrees.
A lot of blacks constantly feel like they are against a system(in general). I don’t know if I have been affected by the system. I am told I have or maybe I am one of the rare black people that got opportunity. I cant definitively say. What I do know is I did take the opportunity to apply. I got my credentials, got several interviews and offers and got hired.
I don’t think a racist agenda exist in programming—its debatable maybe for other positions but programming is different. Clients want results and employers want the skill sets to get the job done. Its one of the few jobs in the world where you “feel” like your skin color doesn’t matter. The problem might be though, blacks aren’t educated about how IT is a great opportunity for minorities and even some of the cool perks of being a programmer.
In other words, part of the problem could be our culture itself. What our parents and peers taught us and how we perceive the industry. Blacks have a lack of awareness in regards to the IT Industry to put it simply. At least, thats what I believe.
Be a programmer. Beginner? So? Look, it’s a start. Engineer your future – don’t let someone else do it.
Stay tuned.
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