General Motors and Black Girls CODE (BGC) announced the launch of a BGC Detroit chapter with a series of hands-on and engaging activities at Detroit International Academy for Women (DIA), a Detroit Public Schools Community District school, and TechTown.
According to the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit outpaces the nation in information technology job growth and is expected to continue the pace through 2025. This partnership, announced alongside four other computer science partnerships in June, aims to increase interest in STEM career fields for girls of color. Women of color are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields, especially in technology. Only 3 percent of African-American women and less than 1 percent of Latinas receive degrees in computer science.
“We’re on the forefront of electric and self-driving cars and connectivity that allows our vehicles to communicate with each other — and, with all that innovation, today’s cars have millions of lines of code,” said Barra. “It’s one of the reasons that it’s our mission to help build the next generation of STEM leaders, with an emphasis on expanding opportunities to women and other underrepresented groups.”
“Although we’ve hosted workshops in the area off and on since 2012, we are thrilled to officially launch a Black Girls CODE chapter in Detroit with the support of GM and other corporate and community partners like Comcast and Wayne State University,” said Bryant. “Our regular programming, launching this fall, will lay a foundation to fully engage girls of color in Detroit and is designed to inspire them to continue their paths as future STEM professionals.”
In addition to the programs announced today, GM will have committed more than $10 million by the end of the year to advance and improve STEM education. GM employees have also volunteered more than 48,700 hours to STEM-related nonprofits this year.
For more information about BGC student workshops and events, visit https://www.blackgirlscode.com/programsevents.html
For more information about BGC volunteer opportunities, visit
https://www.blackgirlscode.com/volunteer-signup.html
