It’s time to create a new Motown for young urban technologists
by
David Harris on September 20, 2014 at 12:05 pm September 19, 2014 at 11:54 pm
Motown
Records was a catalyst that expanded music and re-shaped America’s racial narrative. Photo via Shutterstock
I was born 30 years too late to experience Motown in its heyday.
Nonetheless,
as a young boy growing up in Detroit, I benefited from a city known as
the mecca of music where homegrown talent discovered in the least likely
of neighborhoods became icons of American pop culture. The Supremes and
the Jackson 5 paid regular visits through the stereo systems in my
house. Saturday mornings, also known as cleaning days in my household,
were serenaded by the howls of Aretha Franklin.
The
music of Motown, admittedly powerful, however, was merely a by-product
of something much greater. The music, in and of itself, existed beyond
the vinyl
records that crooned out do-op tunes within the walls of fans of all
colors.
Motown,
you see, was an incubator for not only music, but for producing
leaders, refining and defining skills and accelerating racial progress
within the industry
and across America for black musicians, songwriters and executives. The
institution served as a movement that challenged America’s prejudices
and re-routed the course of American music at the hands of
Mr. Berry Gordy, an $800 loan and his well-trained and well-dressed talented tenth.
Those
albums, and their creators, challenged
us to change the way we thought about the color of music. They
influenced the way we engaged as a society and delivered voices to
previously discriminatory audiences.
Motown
was a catalyst that expanded music and re-shaped America’s racial
narrative. For the first time in history, integration and access sat on
the same agenda
that spoke to the relevancy of African American’s contribution to the
nation and the social issues that reigned ubiquitously in all corners of
the nation.
Through
its music, and more so through its message, Motown influenced artistry
and moved the world closer to equality using rhythms and tunes as a
platform.
Now,
as a long-time Seattleite and professional technologist, Hitsville
U.S.A and Mr. Gordy’s astounding example of disruptive and
transformative change vibrates
through my veins, begging the question: Can Seattle’s Central District, better known for its moniker “Africatown,” serve as a Motown of sorts for a burgeoning tech scene to grow and influence young urban
technologists?
Without reservation, I believe that it can.
In
2014, our challenge in closing the digital divide is not unlike what
was presented before Berry Gordy in 1959. In 2014, our challenge in
closing the digital
divide is not unlike what was presented before Berry Gordy in 1959.
Disproportionality in our education system, coupled with the reality of
race-based gaps of kids of color adopting technical skills, mimics that
of the record labels that refused to place a
bet on artists from marginalized communities.
Similarly,
when we look deeply into the
dismal statistics that characterize the low rate of students of color
entering STEM careers or earning computer science degrees, it is quite
clear that our current systems must shift. Our focus must be turned to
innovative thinking on how to get our youth
and our communities engaged in the ever-evolving technology
conversation, and from it, build our neighborhoods anew.
Bridging
the gap, however, means much more than simply getting black and Latino
kids on the internet. To truly transform lives, neighborhoods and the
status
quo, it is necessary that we build a new system that merges Silicon
Valley innovation and resources with inclusionary urban culture. To
truly transform lives, neighborhoods and the status quo, it is necessary
that we build a new system that merges Silicon
Valley innovation and resources with inclusionary urban culture.
It
is at this intersection where we can pair young talent with the tools
to help them cultivate their ideas, develop their skills and leverage
their contributions
to shift social outcomes. In short, we must make them contributors—not
just consumers and influencers. They are our greatest resource and we
would be remiss if we don’t ensure their piece of the technology pie.
As Sam Cook handsomely sang back in 1963, it’s been a long time coming but a change gonna come.
David Harris
That change starts preeminently with
#HackTheCD, an interactive entrepreneurial jam session taking place at Garfield High School from Sept. 26 to 28.
Working
cooperatively with a community of technologist, entrepreneurs, makers
and local leaders, we want to position “AfricaTown” to serve as the
epicenter
of neighborhood growth where young people can learn, train, develop, be
mentored, write business plans and master technology for the betterment
of themselves and their communities.
54
hours, 50 students and 40 developers will work hard to create the
fertile ground for the African American community in Seattle to grow
with the city’s current
tech boom.
When
it’s over, we’ll have a community ripe with ideas and concepts that
will pour into a vision for a Central District that will breed inclusive
sustainable
economic and community development.
David Harris lives in
@AfricatownSEA, is helping to
@HackTheCD, teaches entrepreneurial education
@STEMbyTAF, and is a grad student @hcdeUW.
