Saturday on The Local Take I spoke with Antoine McNeal about Black Tech Planet and their upcoming Atlanta Black Tech Week, taking place August 29-31 at various Atlanta locations, including the Auburn Avenue Research Library, Center For Civil and Human Rights, and W Hotel. Antoine continually references Hip-Hop as the new model for African-American technologists. McNeal explains that the Hip-Hop reference speaks to African American pioneers who were able to hang on to and grow their wealth as opposed to earlier generations when their creativity was exploited to make others rich. He explains that while the big tech companies in Silicon Valley may share their goals for hiring diverse talent, that it never trickles down to the decision makers.
Atlanta Black Tech Week is a gathering of technologists, entrepreneurs and professionals from marketing to logistics to discuss and explore ways to use our community's innovation to disrupt what's happening in tech. In order to gain a foot-hold we'll have to start and grow our own enterprises. We also talk about the "true" father of social media Omar Wasow the founder of Black Planet which launched before MySpace and Facebook. Antione invites any and all African-American professionals who are looking to change the world to start by attending Atlanta Black Tech Week.
Register to attend Atlanta Black Tech Week
More information on Black Tech Planet