Our mission: To increase the number of women of color in digital careers by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 14 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science in a supportive, and challenging environment.

, When I was first introduced to computer programming as a freshman in Electrical Engineering, Fortran and Pascal were the popular languages for newbies in computing and the Apple Macintosh was the new kid on the block. I remember being excited by the prospects, and looked forward to embarking on a rich and rewarding career after college.

  But I also recall, as I pursued my studies, feeling culturally isolated: few of my classmates looked like me. While we shared similar aspirations and many good times, there’s much to be said for making any challenging journey with people of the same cultural background.

  Much has changed since my college days, but there’s still a dearth of African-American women in science, technology, engineering and math professions, an absence that cannot be explained by, say, a lack of interest in these fields. Lack of access and lack of exposure to STEM topics are the likelier culprits.

  By launching Black Girls Code, I hope to provide  young and pre-teen girls of color opportunities to learn in-demand skills to  at a time when they are naturally thinking about what they want to be when they grow up.

  That, really, is the Black Girls Code mission:  to introduce programming and technology to a new generation of coders, coders who will become builders of technological innovation and of their own futures.