Gilroy, Hollister and Morgan Hill residents attended the annual
event for math and science
San Jose – More than 200 black students, parents and community leaders from throughout the South Valley gathered at Overfelt High School Monday to participate in Black Family Technology Night, an annual event that aims to promote technology and increase the percentage of blacks entering science or math related fields.
Gilroy, Hollister and Morgan Hill residents attended the event which is celebrated in correlation with Black History Month.
“The main focus is to raise the awareness of technology and science to black families, that in this constituency there’s a great digital divide ” said Melissa Biggs, president of IBM’s Silicon Valley Black Employees group and software development manager.
Lack of Internet access makes it more difficult to search for employment and hampers educational opportunities for students, said the Hollister resident.
Black Technology Night has been sponsored by IBM since its inception seven years ago. During the three-hour event participants listened to a variety of speakers, such as Sandra Johnson, one of IBM’s top technologists and the first black woman in the nation to receive a doctorate in electrical engineering.
Ifiok Umoh, president of the Santa Clara University National Society of Black Engineers, also spoke.
Most of the speakers touched on the global issue of technology and explained that many engineering jobs are being outsourced to other countries because the pool of American applicants is so slim, said IBM Spokeswoman Holly Parker-Coney.
IBM is looking into setting up an outreach center with computers and tutors at Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill. Monday’s event was the kick-off to Black Family Technology Awareness Week and international initiative, which ends on Saturday.
