1 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: Good morning, keeps, and welcome to wik f Daily with 2 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: Meet your Girl Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks, 3 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: let me start out today with saying, at the time 4 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 1: of this recording, we still do not know the charges 5 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: for Donald Trump that will come out later this afternoon 6 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,599 Speaker 1: at around two fifteen, Donald Trump will be arraigned and 7 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: then we will know after he knows how many charges 8 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: he is up against in New York. But I want 9 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: to say this, fucking cable news man, like mainstream media, 10 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: just stays fucking up, And at this point you got 11 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: to say to yourself, is it a fuck up? Because 12 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: it just is deliberate. So first, let's start off with 13 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: sixty fucking minutes deciding to give precious airtime to a 14 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: white nationalist, anti Semitic, transphobic piece of trash like Marjorie 15 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: Taylor fucking Green, who used her time on sixty Minutes 16 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: to refer to Democrats who stand for gender affirming care 17 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:32,320 Speaker 1: for transgender kids as being pedophiles, right, And all the 18 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 1: journalists supposed journalists Stall could say in response to that 19 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: was can you just not name call bitch? This is 20 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: not elementary school, right, Marjorie Taylor Green is not an 21 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: elementary school, nor is she a preschooler. She knows exactly 22 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: what it is that she's doing and what your network 23 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: decided to do, what CBS decided to do, what sixty 24 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: minutes decided to do, was what the New York Times 25 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: did back in the nineteen thirties with fucking Hitler when 26 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: they decided to give him an entire expose around his 27 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 1: long walks in his better Home and Gardens section, right 28 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,679 Speaker 1: as he was shipping people off to Auschwitz and other 29 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: concentration camps. You have Marjorie Taylor Green getting airtime is 30 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: if she is normal. Do you know how many other 31 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: members of Congress that are actually doing fucking work, that 32 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: are actually trying to save this country from a fascist takeover. 33 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: You know who could have been on sixty minutes, Jamal Bowman, 34 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: the representative who was shaming his Republican counterparts for not 35 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: taking any actions. As we watch every fucking few months, 36 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: another classroom of students be slaughtered by aar fifteens that 37 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:59,839 Speaker 1: the Republican Party wears as essential flag pins on their lapels. Right, 38 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: Jamal Bowman stood in the rotunda at the Capitol shaming 39 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 1: his Republican counterparts for their inaction. We'll do everything, bulletproof backpacks, 40 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: bulletproof whiteboards, fucking teaching little kids how to army crawl 41 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: at the age of three, but they won't do anything 42 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: about the guns because, as the Tennessee fucking representatives said, 43 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: we're not gonna fix this. Criminals are just gonna crime. 44 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: That is the person that deserves a time slot on 45 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: sixty minutes, not a fucking white nationalist piece of trash 46 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: like Marjorie Taylor Green, who had to, by the way, 47 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: be warned by the New York City mayor Eric Adams, 48 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: because she tweeted and said she gonna find herself flying 49 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: to New York for Trump's arraiment. I don't know whether 50 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: it's on a broomstick or not, right finding herself lying 51 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: to New York, and Eric Adams said to her, don't 52 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: be bringing your violent, insightful ass here and thinking that 53 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: you're gonna rabble rouse and everything is gonna be okay, 54 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: because it ain't. We all hands on deck here. And 55 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: I cannot stress enough, folks, I cannot stress this enough 56 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: that the fact that New York has all officers hands 57 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: on deck, the fact that New York has been building 58 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: up barricade since Donald Trump's initial lyon ass tweet on 59 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: his broke Ass Truth social where he said that he 60 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,679 Speaker 1: was going to be arrested just you know, from figment 61 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: of his imagination, just so that he could once again 62 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: grift off of his followers. They've been all hands on 63 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: deck because they don't want to be caught flatfooted in 64 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: the way that the FBI, the National Guard, the DC 65 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: Metro Police, Capitol Police, and the rest of them decided 66 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 1: that they weren't going to do shit even as they 67 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,119 Speaker 1: were watching these groups like the Oath Keepers, the Proud 68 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 1: Voice of three Percenters organized in plain sight because you know, 69 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: all but they're white, so they're not going to harm anybody. Okay, 70 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: checks history books anyway, it should be covered in the 71 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: way that it's like Donald Trump is being investigated by 72 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: the Department of Justice, not only for stealing government documents, which, 73 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,359 Speaker 1: by the way, the Washington Post also came out with 74 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 1: new reporting that said that there is way, way, way 75 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: more evidence that points to the fact that Donald Trump 76 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: was obstructing justice, was combing through said documents and deciding 77 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: what he was going to bring back, what he was 78 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: going to send back excuse me to the National arc 79 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: kives in what he was gonna keep right. So we 80 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,160 Speaker 1: also have found out recently with an interview that he 81 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: did with Sean Hannity where Sean Hannity tried to give 82 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: Donald Trump an out and say, well, you weren't going 83 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: through those documents yourself, right, like you have staff and 84 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,039 Speaker 1: blahlah blah, and He's like, no, no, it was well 85 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: within my right. And not only that, but then says 86 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: that Nixon took documents and was able to sell them 87 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: back to the United States government for millions of dollars. 88 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: Hook line and sinker, folks, Donald Trump is going to 89 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: tweet his ass and talk his ass into an orange jumpsuit. 90 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:48,480 Speaker 1: And I'm like, go ahead, keep going. Let that ego 91 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: continue right and checks that god willing your ass can't cash. 92 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: But as it stands right now, folks, we are waiting 93 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 1: to find out if there are in fact thirty counts 94 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: or more against Donald Trump that could cover everything from 95 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: the money payments to Stormy Daniels, tax fraud as well 96 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: as business fraud, an accounting fraud at all of those 97 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 1: different types of charges. So we will keep our eyes 98 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: open for that as well as it seems that the 99 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: Jack Smith side of things are also heating up. Just 100 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: hoping that the Department of Justice was also paying attention 101 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: not only to Donald Trump's interview on Hannity about the documents, 102 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: but also his farce of a rally in Waco, Texas 103 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: where he was using footage from January six, you know, 104 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: the thing that he incited people to violence and who 105 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: went to jail for. We're in, for folks, a very 106 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: wild week, and I just want you to know that 107 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: we here at Woke A Up. We'll have our finger 108 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: on the pulse move in all week long. And so 109 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: also make sure to follow me if you do not, 110 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: on all of the socials at D two cents on 111 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: Instagram and on Twitter, d E E. T w O 112 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: ce NTS and Danielle Moody underscore on TikTok. While that's 113 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: still a thing. Coming up next my conversation with Sophia Mohammed, 114 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: who is the interim CEO of Black Girls Code. We 115 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: will switch gears a bit and talk about, you know, 116 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: other news and uplifting things that are happening in our 117 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,440 Speaker 1: schools as opposed to just you know, talking about the 118 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: shootings that happen in our schools. There are good things 119 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: that happen there too, and Sophia Mohammed will share that next. Folks, 120 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: I am very happy to welcome to woke F for 121 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:56,479 Speaker 1: the first time, the interim executive director of Black Girls Code, 122 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: Sophia Mohammed. Sophia, before we jump in, I want to 123 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: give you the opportunity to tell folks who may not 124 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: know a black Black Girl's Code what the mission is 125 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: of your organization. Sure first, Danielle, thank you for having 126 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: me and thinking of Black Girl's Code. Black Girl's Code 127 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: is an organization that puts black girls first in tech education, 128 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:34,319 Speaker 1: and it puts black girls first in also cultivating other 129 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: parts of their girlhood so that they can be confident 130 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: in in how they show up if they choose to 131 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 1: show up into the tech space later in their life. 132 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:53,319 Speaker 1: So we create our own culture responsive computer programming curriculum 133 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: where students learn technical skills through cool projects that are 134 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: connected to their personal experience, their identity, the things that 135 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 1: they care about right and also with instructors that they 136 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: connect with. And in addition to the technical skills, we 137 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: do activities to cultivate their confidence and their empowerment and 138 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: their self love, focusing on the whole child, for example, 139 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: you know, wellness activities providing opportunities for our students to 140 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: engage with other women who come from maybe similar backgrounds 141 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,559 Speaker 1: as them, you know, just creating safe space for them 142 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: to develop the relationships and sisterhood with other members of 143 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 1: our programs as well. I love that, And you know, 144 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: I have always had just a warm place in my 145 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 1: heart for organizations that are particularly targeted at black girls 146 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 1: and getting them into fields that are traditionally closed have 147 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: been closed to black people. And we know that STEM 148 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: is really an important part of our education and an 149 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: important part of getting a well paying job and into 150 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: a field that is growing, but that has largely been 151 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: dominated by white males. And so before we jump in 152 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: into where we find ourselves in the bubble of tech 153 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 1: right now, I kind of want to ask you what 154 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: it feels like to be the executive director of an 155 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: organization with black girls in the title at a time 156 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: in our country where diversity and inclusion and equity, particularly 157 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 1: as it pertains to black people, to black indigenous people 158 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: of color, is being targeted in our schools in curriculum 159 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: and erasure that is happening and what it means and 160 00:11:54,720 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: how you've been dealing with this climate. Well, it's been 161 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 1: a heavy topic on my mind and on the mind 162 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: of a lot of educators, a lot of folks in 163 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: this space, and in fact, so I was. So I'll 164 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 1: go back a little bit. I was a teacher. That's 165 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: how I started my career. Although I was a former teacher, 166 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 1: I always say I'm a forever educator, even though I 167 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: even though I left the classroom, my heart has not 168 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: left the classroom, and my passions and my work continues 169 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: to be an educational equity and being a forever educator. 170 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 1: The lack of diversity, the cultural erasure or just lack 171 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: of existence of our history and curriculum, particularly stem curriculum. 172 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: It's something that has been on my mind since my 173 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 1: first you're teaching, right, That's why when I was in 174 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 1: the classroom, whether it was teaching sixth grade math or 175 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 1: pre calculus on a high school level, or whatever the 176 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:14,520 Speaker 1: case was, like, I remember thinking to myself adjusting my 177 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: lesson plans to make it more relevant and more inclusive 178 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 1: to my students. I remember adjusting problem sets so that 179 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:32,079 Speaker 1: the context was not about farming and golf, but rather 180 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: everyday experiencing my students in a Brooklyn know about like 181 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: writing the subway or a familiar event like West Indian 182 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: Day parade, right, like things that like it's familiar to them, 183 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:51,560 Speaker 1: so that and passionate about and interested about, so that 184 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: when they are doing the technical like hard math, like 185 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: you know, like hard math things, it just like clicks, right. 186 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,559 Speaker 1: And there's also a level of connection, um that they 187 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:06,160 Speaker 1: feel with the content and like application that they feel 188 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,959 Speaker 1: with the content. So those are those are the type 189 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 1: of like practices that I was doing as a teacher, 190 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: and a lot of teachers, a lot of transformational teachers 191 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: and educators doing the classroom to be culturally responsive, to 192 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:26,239 Speaker 1: be inclusive, to be intentional. U in there as educators, 193 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 1: right and here we are right and yes, there used 194 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: to be more of that happening right um. But that 195 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: that unfortunately is not by itself, does not move the 196 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 1: needle when it comes to creating diversity and inclusivity um 197 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: in the tech industry or any industry that's predominantly occupied 198 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: by white male populations. Right is, we have to take 199 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: a multi a multi pronged approach to fixing this issue. 200 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: And we also need to fix this issue not because 201 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: like not because it's just for the sake of fixing. 202 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 1: It's because actually inclusivity and diversity and having a variety 203 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: of different perspectives at the table when you are solving 204 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: a problem, or when you are when you're inventing something new, 205 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: or when you are improving something like actually makes the 206 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: product better. It actually like is beneficial for all people, 207 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: all stakeholders, all customers, you know, not just a group 208 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: of just one group of people. So I think those 209 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: are the type of things that are on my mind 210 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: then that I lean on when I do this work 211 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: here at Black Girl's Code. It's like all of the 212 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:48,680 Speaker 1: things that you say. It was one of the reasons 213 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: why I initially had gone into teaching as well, because 214 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: I believe that, you know, education is the great equalizer 215 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: that it is is the place where you receive you know, 216 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: kind of the keys to equity is with a robust, 217 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 1: challenging education, but one that is applicable right to you 218 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 1: in your life. And I find that where we are 219 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:18,600 Speaker 1: right now in a country is you have a party 220 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 1: that is working to create a permanent underclass, that is 221 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:25,600 Speaker 1: working to create a permanent working class. Because if we 222 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 1: were to create access and you know, apply curriculum in 223 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: a way that is of interest, that is of excitement, 224 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 1: but is also relevant, right, and that is not centered 225 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: around whiteness. Well, then guess what you create A whole 226 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: lot of access and a whole lot of opportunity that 227 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: I believe is not wanted. I want to switch gears 228 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: and talk about how this applies to what we're seeing 229 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: that is happening in the classrooms with diversity and inclusion, 230 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: and what we're seeing mirrored in the tech industry right now. 231 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 1: So I don't know how many companies now that are 232 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: a part of big tech have announced major layoffs, tens 233 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:18,199 Speaker 1: of thousands of people from engineers and software people you know, 234 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: throughout their companies that are being laid off. And of 235 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 1: course it's being said, well, this is largely due to inflation, 236 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: and you know, the fear is around recession. But what 237 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 1: is happening, it seems, is that it is the diversity 238 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 1: and inclusion and the elements that we're helping to diversify 239 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: this very white, very sis, very heteronormative culture, this very 240 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:52,400 Speaker 1: fat culture. To diversify it is what is being hardest hit. 241 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: So I wanted to give you an opportunity to speak 242 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:58,919 Speaker 1: to what you are hearing and seeing as it pertains 243 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: to these matters of layoffs and what you are thinking 244 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 1: with regard to the future of tech and the possibility 245 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:12,439 Speaker 1: of diversification there. See, one of the things that I 246 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 1: am learning about the different layoffs I'm hearing about or 247 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:22,440 Speaker 1: I'm reading about, is every company has its different reasons. Right. 248 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:25,679 Speaker 1: For some companies is because they've invested so much money 249 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: on a particular project and did not really think about 250 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: the long term you know, impact of that investment. And 251 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: now we're you know, hitting a financial you know challenge. 252 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 1: Then it's it's it's hitting the bank. Right. There are 253 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:45,920 Speaker 1: some companies where, uh, you know, maybe their investments completely 254 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: went down. So there are different reasons to why layoffs 255 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 1: are happening across our nation and our Black Girl's code. 256 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: What we are making sure to do are our goal 257 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: and our aim is to to prepare black girls so 258 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:10,239 Speaker 1: that they have choices in entering and or staying in 259 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: certain in companies if they choose to get into tech, 260 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:20,160 Speaker 1: right and also to um be able to uh well 261 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,480 Speaker 1: that to go back a little bit, I think that 262 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:26,680 Speaker 1: a lot of companies also had a season, especially during 263 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 1: UM twenty twenty era, right, we're like, oh, we need 264 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: to diversify, we need to diversify, right, And they were 265 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: hiring left and right, but actually did not have a 266 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:42,480 Speaker 1: plan to actually how to keep folks in their companies. Right. 267 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: So it's one thing to hire and bring historically marginalized 268 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:54,639 Speaker 1: folks in your company, but you need to have a 269 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: plan to make them feel and make them like valued, 270 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: to make sure that they are growing, make sure that 271 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,400 Speaker 1: there is an opportunity for them to take on leadership 272 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: and senior leadership roles in the company. So if God 273 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:18,439 Speaker 1: infrastructure and that system for retaining talent, specifically talent of 274 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: people of color or historically marginalized folks, then whether layoff 275 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: or not, your diversity is going to go down over 276 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,880 Speaker 1: time because there's not a plan to sustain that diversity. Right. 277 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: And I think about this summer of twenty twenty, which 278 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 1: was you know, as many it said, oh, it's the 279 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:41,160 Speaker 1: great racial reckoning, and it's the great racial uprising. And 280 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: I had said on this show and many others that 281 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: it was like a resistance internship for many people, for 282 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 1: many white people in this country that they took up 283 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: for the summer, and then by the time that the 284 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 1: fall semester rolled around, it was just like, oh, well, 285 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 1: I can't really do that elective right now, right, so 286 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 1: it's over. And similarly that was matched by a lot 287 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: of companies, both in tech and outside of tech, that 288 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: we're in a rush to create the diversity, equity and 289 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 1: inclusion roles, these d EI roles, but not think about 290 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 1: the infrastructure that was needed and the culture change that 291 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: was needed, not to be done just by one person 292 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: that was needed to retain people. So can you speak 293 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 1: to because you touched upon it. But retention is really 294 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: important because it isn't enough for organizations like yours to 295 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:45,680 Speaker 1: train up the next generation of STEM and tech leaders 296 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: if in fact they're entering into spaces where they find 297 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:54,879 Speaker 1: themselves as the only one right right. While black girls 298 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: code mission is to educate like black girls, to you know, 299 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,679 Speaker 1: equip them with the technical and soft skills to be 300 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: able to have a choice in entering right these spaces. 301 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: There's also a lot of responsibility that the tech spaces 302 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: have in order to one receive black girls and black 303 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: women and a diverse group of people into their companies, 304 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 1: it is also the responsibility to train them and to 305 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: help them grow. And like I said, make them feel seen, 306 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: valued and empower and feel like a community is they 307 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,440 Speaker 1: have a community in the in the tech industry. So 308 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:34,919 Speaker 1: like it is not just the responsibility of of black 309 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: women to train themselves up to like be competent and 310 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: be competitive into into the workspace. No, like how many 311 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:50,760 Speaker 1: times we have so many qualified, overqualified women, um black 312 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: folk who may don't get the job or don't stay 313 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: at an organization, not because of their lack of because 314 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,440 Speaker 1: of their short coming, but because the system, the environment 315 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:04,280 Speaker 1: itself has a lot of issues that it just was 316 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 1: not ready for their leadership and their authentic self, you know. 317 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,959 Speaker 1: So the tech industries have a lot of responsibility. I 318 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,360 Speaker 1: think schools also have a lot of responsibility. Yes, their 319 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:23,639 Speaker 1: organizations like Black Girl's Code, who provide these extracurricular supplemental education. 320 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:30,919 Speaker 1: But quite honestly, like preparation for quality STEMP preparation and 321 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 1: computer programming education should really begin and continue throughout somebody's 322 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 1: educational career. Just like how we have we take math 323 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: classes every single year, right, like you take science every 324 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: single year. How powerful would it be if computer programming 325 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: and like really specific technological skills were embedded and infused 326 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: in the curriculum kindergarten up until you know, whenever you 327 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: graduate dairy school, right secondary education. There's also a responsibility 328 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: for our toy and our entertainment industry to be able 329 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:13,680 Speaker 1: to put all types of people with technology, right. I 330 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: always share the story of when I am I have 331 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:21,680 Speaker 1: a seven year old niece who is going on seventeen 332 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: and and you know, for you know, her birthdays or 333 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:31,639 Speaker 1: for the holidays, when I'm at stores buying gifts and 334 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 1: I go to the sections, the girls sections, or whatever 335 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 1: the case may be, Like I you know, there are 336 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 1: a lot of toys and entertainment that has to do 337 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:42,880 Speaker 1: with makeup and has to do with care and has 338 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 1: to be which is all great, okay, and I'm gonna 339 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 1: buy it for her, And if when I was a kid, 340 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: I love those two and I wish there were also 341 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 1: a lot of choices for like STEM related toys or 342 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: like construction related toys like cars and airplanes and other 343 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: things like that could also tell my knees through the 344 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: toys that she plays, that she can do STEM and 345 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: that she can be a technologist. So like even the 346 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,120 Speaker 1: entertainment industry, the toy industry, whatever you want to call it, 347 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: like feeds into this narrative right that only a certain 348 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,040 Speaker 1: amount of certain types of people belong in that STEM space, 349 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:34,560 Speaker 1: and others are not included. Yeah. Going into the toy 350 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: section for my friend's children and god daughter and what 351 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 1: have you is probably my most frustrating shopping time because, 352 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: I mean, for the life of me, I couldn't understand 353 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: why you needed to make legos passed out. Oh my god, 354 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:57,920 Speaker 1: I like I could. I couldn't understand why things that 355 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:05,120 Speaker 1: were new right gender neutral needed to be feminized or 356 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:09,440 Speaker 1: made to be masculine. I didn't like I and it 357 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: is it is a training. You know. You have people 358 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 1: on the right talking about indoctrination, and I see no 359 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: better indoctrination than the toy I absolutely, at any given 360 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 1: place to tell young girls and young boys, you know, 361 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 1: this is how you need to act, This is what 362 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: you need to like in order to fit into these boxes. 363 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: With a short amount of time that we have left, 364 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:37,680 Speaker 1: what is your hope for black girls code, but also 365 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 1: for black girls that are looking outside of the box 366 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: that they have been placed in in terms of getting 367 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,919 Speaker 1: excited and invested in STEM and in careers that have 368 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 1: not traditionally been open. Yeah, a few things I have 369 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 1: in my hope and dreams for black girls code and 370 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: just girls and general. First is when you try something new, 371 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,120 Speaker 1: When you try something new for the first time, it's 372 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,600 Speaker 1: always going to feel hard and uncomfortable and you know, 373 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: a little difficult, and you can do it right, like coding, 374 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 1: computer programming, stem topics. Anything can be hard and you 375 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:31,399 Speaker 1: can do hard things. Mu. So don't be afraid of 376 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: a little bit discomfort. Don't be afraid of a little 377 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,200 Speaker 1: tug and pull when it comes to you know, uh, 378 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: you know, working on a project and you have a 379 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: moment of failure, like, get back up and try again 380 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: until you feel more comfortable with that process of failing learning, 381 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:49,119 Speaker 1: failing learning, failing learning. But because at the end of 382 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 1: the day, you're growing through that through that process, and 383 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 1: that's also life. It's not just coding. That's just like 384 00:27:55,920 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: literally life, right, um So I want I hope that 385 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 1: all girls, and specifically black girls like have embrace and 386 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:10,600 Speaker 1: like understand that mindset and can apply that mindset and 387 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,000 Speaker 1: their daily life and you know it will trickle to 388 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:19,199 Speaker 1: their education and their career path as well. My second 389 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:26,879 Speaker 1: hope is for black girls to have choices. I think 390 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:33,159 Speaker 1: the biggest I think, the biggest form of freedom that 391 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 1: one can feel. I know, the biggest sense of me 392 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 1: that I can feel being an immigrant coming to America 393 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 1: when I was nine. The reason why I came was 394 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: because my family and I came was because we wanted choices, 395 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 1: right yea. And for Black Girls Code, And what I 396 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 1: hope for black girls is you can come to Black 397 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 1: Girls Code events and workshops for years and if you 398 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: don't want to go and tech, it is okay because 399 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: that is your choice. But as you're not going into 400 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: tech because you don't want to, not because you cannot, 401 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: not because you think you cannot, not because you didn't 402 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 1: have access to it, you know. So like my goal 403 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,160 Speaker 1: and my hope is for girls to be able to 404 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 1: choose how they want to live for the rest of 405 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:22,239 Speaker 1: their lives. And you know that choice changes. What they 406 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 1: choose when they're twenty one is differ from a twenty 407 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: five and thirty five and forty five, right, So yeah, 408 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: I just want them to have choices. I love that. 409 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 1: Sophia Mohammed, thank you so much for making the time 410 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,800 Speaker 1: to join will Gay app and thank you for the 411 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,040 Speaker 1: work that you're doing with Black Girls Code. I think 412 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 1: that it is really important and it is necessary, and 413 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: I too believe that all black girls should have choices 414 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 1: in their lives, and I think that what you're doing 415 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,920 Speaker 1: is invaluable for that hope to come true. So thank you, 416 00:29:56,160 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 1: Thank you, Daniel. That is it for me to day. 417 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,960 Speaker 1: Dear friends, Ann woke f as always Power to the 418 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: people and to all the people. Power, get woke and 419 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 1: stay woke as fuck.