Black Internet Effect

Activist, entrepreneur, and technology executive Charles delivers an empowering account of her journey as a Black woman in tech in this insightful nonfiction volume, part of the Pocket Change Collective series. While emerging technological media conglomerates, such as Google and Facebook, were attractive opportunities to young tech-literate students around 2007, 16-year-old San Diego native Charles felt “an overwhelming sense of anxiety” at the lack of Black representation (“It was hard to fathom the idea of seeing... a person like me, working at a place like Google”). Nevertheless, her parents encouraged her to pursue a career in tech. During an internship at then-startup Twitter, Charles finds community in her Black coworkers, then, in an effort to bolster support for people of color in the office, founds Blackbirds, the company’s first resource group for Black employees. Via an assured voice, Charles chronicles her experiences with keen perceptions on corporations’ lack of diversity and the effect that has on marginalized professionals. While detailing her struggles, including feeling like she doesn’t fit in with her peers and contending with little mentorship, she encourages readers to “break down the doors and institutional ceilings” standing in their way. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)