OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A new investment is being made in Omaha to diversify the tech industry It’s an industry with a workforce predominantly white, Asian, and men.
According to Google’s 2022 annual diversity report, about 48% of its workforce is white. That’s compared to just 5% as Black.
But one Omaha man is working to change that.
David Pollock knows what it feels like to be the only person of color in a room. What it feels like not to have a mentor to lean on as he navigates new professional experiences.
“I could just tell you it’s a weight. It’s a weight,” said Pollock. “There have been a lot of discouraging moments. Not being able to have somebody that I could go talk to and really kind of say, ‘Hey, I’m saying this, but they’re saying this. Am I saying it the right way?’ We always got to rise above the rest so that we can make sure that we still have a place.”
That feeling is what drove him to start Code Black, a local organization about a year old dedicated to training people of color in areas ranging from tech investing to web design and building.
“Getting into technology right now, it’s pretty tough. But at the same time, if we could equip these individuals and prepare them, when the opportunity comes, they’ll be ready for it.”
That’s why Code Black offers free classes and mentorship to its members. Its newest is in quality assurance and funded by the Omaha Community Foundation.
Through a $10,000 grant, 12 people can take a six-month course in the area starting next year. It’ll be a hybrid class, with night classes on Zoom and in-person at Capstone IT in Omaha. The company is donating its building so students can get hands-on, in-person learning.
Tailla Strawn is a former Code Black student and will take this new course.
“I would really be interested in going to cybersecurity, so that’s why I took the intro to technology class and then got a path on what direction I should go,” said Strawn.
Strawn has been interested in STEM even since her time at Omaha North High School.
“I was exposed to the National Society of Black Engineers, so I was able to experience how beautiful it is to be surrounded by people who look like me. And it’s really empowering. It makes you want to strive to do better and strive to do more.”
Strawn is starting a new job as a financial aid specialist for Metro Community College, but she plans on taking the newly funded quality assurance course after work.
With the different Code Black classes under her belt and courses she’ll take at MCC, Strawn hopes to one day become a cybersecurity analyst for a tech company in Omaha.
“By the time they’re done, they will be work ready and also understand what their role is going forward,” said Pollock.
And with the final step as employment, he says the organization continues to look for industry partners to help get people of color in tech positions.
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