The Fall of Kimberly Bryant: Founder of Black Girls CODE!

Outnumbered: The Making of Kimberly Bryant

Have you ever experienced racial inequality in your career or field of work? How did it make you feel—were you presumed to be inferior? In Corporate America, this happens often; Caucasians dominate certain fields, while minorities and Black Americans are predominantly represented in others.

Kimberly Bryant experienced this inequality in the tech industry. She felt overshadowed by the fact that very few Black individuals had access to learning opportunities or the ability to excel in technology. Determined to create change and open doors for Black girls like herself, she founded Black Girls CODE (BGC), an organization designed to support Black girls interested in technology and computer programming.

Kimberly Bryant graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. As she looked among her peers, she noticed very few Black or African American students. This became her first source of inspiration to excel. Later, Bryant became a mother to a daughter who wanted to follow in her footsteps, yet encountered the same racial inequalities in the tech field.

After realizing this issue was ongoing and systemic, Kimberly Bryant began her mission to create Black Girls CODE. She wanted to be a source of inspiration for young Black girls aspiring to pursue careers in technology and engineering. Bryant became known as the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls CODE.

In addition to her work with the organization, Kimberly Bryant is a biotechnology engineer. She served on the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative and the National Board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) with the K–12 Alliance. Ms. Bryant also received the Jefferson Award for Community Service for her work with Black Girls CODE. In 2013, she was recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Influential African Americans in Technology.

The Evolution: Black Girls CODE

Founded in 2011, Black Girls CODE is a nonprofit organization that introduces Black girls ages 7–17 to the field of technology and computer programming, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. The focus of the program is to teach girls computer programming, web development, robotics, as well as advanced programming languages.

Black Girls CODE began with eight students and launched in Bayview–Hunters Point, California. Each session ran for a six-week period. As the program grew and found success, it expanded to cities such as Chicago and Detroit, and eventually across the country. Branching off from BGC, Kimberly Bryant later developed a summer coding program that extended the organization’s curriculum. Each year, BGC reached new milestones. Today, the program continues to thrive, hosting weekend coding workshops as well as offering full curriculum courses.

The Fall of Kimberly Bryant: Biased Judgement

In 2021, Kimberly Bryant’s position as Executive Director of Black Girls Code was revoked. She was removed from the board due to concerns regarding how the program was managed. Accusations were made against Ms. Bryant, including claims of website hijacking. These complaints eventually led to a legal lawsuit, in which Kimberly counter-sued for defamation of character and wrongful termination. Although a counterclaim was filed, Kimberly Bryant was ultimately replaced by Cristina Jones in 2023. Despite the loss of her leadership within Black Girls Code, she later launched Ascend Venturers I, a firm representing underrepresented founders. While Black Girls Code faced challenges following her removal, the organization remains active and continues to grow.

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Sources:

Jay. (2023, October 3). The beginning of black girls code. The History of the Web. https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/beginning-black-girls-code/

National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). Kimberly Bryant. National Archives and Records Administration. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/champions/tech-inclusion/kimberly-bryant