Fern Gillespie
Some of the country’s leading Black innovators in tech from AI to ChatGPT to online gaming will be celebrating Juneteenth at the 2025 Juneteenth Tech conference at the S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library on June 21. Admission is free.
“Juneteenth Tech is convening Black tech leaders, influencers, and supporters of the Black tech community during Juneteenth celebrations in New York City to discuss and present solutions to the racial technology gap,” Etophia Lane, creator and executive producer for Juneteenth Tech and president of Bizness Girl, told Our Time Press. “We are going to celebrate the freedom that Black people are now experiencing in tech. Even though we’re still struggling, we’re taking much more control as you see with our different communities.”
The conference is co-hosted by LevelUp, a workforce development initiative out of the Brooklyn Public Library specifically for Black women. Lauren C. Dorvil, director of the LevelUP, works to help Black women get to the next stage professionally and build wealth. Last year, LevelUp was one of 20 grantees of Google’s 2024 Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund. Conference panels include:
Code, Culture + Community Building a More Inclusive Tech Ecosystem in New York. This panel will examine the current state of diversity in the New York tech scene, the gaps, and how to foster inclusivity. From strategies for improving representation in tech, promoting access to funding for Black tech founders, and creating spaces for Black technologists to thrive.
Future Forward Tech Education and Empowerment for the Next Generation of Black New Yorkers This panel will discuss programs and initiatives that are equipping the next generation of Black tech professionals with the skills to succeed in New York’s growing tech sector. Discussion on importance of tech exposure and tech boot camps and how tech companies provide exposure into the industry.
Transformative LeadHERship: The LevelUP Cybersecurity Experience. This panel will feature LevelUp Tech graduates and instructors in a Fireside style chat.
Navigating Tech Careers as a Black Professional in New York. This panel will share experiences about navigating career advancement in tech, the importance of networking, and advice for young Black tech professionals.
Juneteenth Tech 2025 will salute Jerelyn Rodriguez Williams, founder of the nonprofit tech education program The Knowledge House in the Bronx. “She wanted to make sure that tech education made sense for not only just for the youth, but also for adults. So it’s not just training our youth,” said Lane.
“Many people sometimes think education is about getting the kids into high school or training them when they’re in elementary school. But, what about the adults education? You have people who are just wanting to find a job, change and find the pivot. So it’s really making sure that New York has those resources for marginalized communities.”
Some of the Black women tech innovators at Juneteenth Tech include Quanda Francis, a tech entrepreneur, engineer and global leader in artificial intelligence, who created WombWatch AI, a healthcare AI for every stage of a woman’s life. Erin Reddick, AI Developer and Founder of ChatBlackGPT, an AI software providing perspectives from the Black and African American communities.
Madonna Wambua, Google Android expert and owner of Jibu Labs, a multidisciplinary digital creative lab focused on innovation, emerging technology, and creating solutions for businesses to thrive in the digital era. Jaye “letta J” Watts, a former Grammy nominee and Stanford grad, who founded CoExist Gaming, a tech firm that includes CoExist GameHouse, a Manhattan multi-level gaming space offering a variety of amenities like music studios, podcast areas, and green screens.
An entrepreneur for 20 years, Lane is the owner of Bizness Girl, a small business development consultancy company based in Brooklyn. She specializes in consulting nonprofits and small businesses on major projects in tech, education, fashion, mental health and corporate sponsorships. A graduate of the LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and Hampton University, she is also a national advisor for ForbesBLK, Forbes Magazine’s global community for Black professionals.
“The Black tech community building is awesome. Now, how can we get the funding that actually mirrors the community building,” said Lane. “I don’t have the same community sponsors that I had last year. Google Tech Equity Collective is no longer. They were my community sponsors. They were my community partners last year. If you go to the page, it’s not existing.”
Last year Google announced 20 grantees of its 2024 Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund. It was a $1 million commitment to organizations driving equity in the tech and creating a more inclusive tech ecosystem for aspiring Black technical talent through reskilling, upskilling and training programs. This year, Google abruptly cancelled all of its DEI initiatives.
“I don’t even know what diversity is going to look like in the next couple of years,” said Lane. “That is why Black people must take their own reigns and that is why we must empower ourselves to not just through education, but open up our own tech companies. We’re smart enough.”
To register for Juneteenth Tech, contact the Brooklyn Public Library LevelUp.