Next City Webinar: How to Build Inclusive Tech Hubs

11:00 AM, November 13, 2019

Nest City presents How to Build Inclusive Tech Hubs
November 13, 2019 at 1 p.m. Eastern

As Newark, New Jersey, beings to make headway as an East Coast tech hub, some community members are being left out of the narrative. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in 2014 African-Americans only made up 7.4 percent of individuals employed in tech nationwide. In a city like Newark where 50 percent of the population is black and the median household income is $34,826, an emerging tech hub might be the economic boost that the city needs to level the playing field.

Anthony Frasier, founder of ABF Creative and Brick City Tech, our webinar guest on Wednesday, November 13 at 1 p.m. Eastern time, believes that multicultural community programming for the advancement of tech entrepreneurship could lead to more equity in the greater Newark area. Frasier will discuss the racial inequity in both technology and capital raising and how he and his peers are working remediate inequality in the Newark tech scene.

To address these issues, Frasier decided to enact change by founding Brick City Tech — a technology-oriented Meetup group based in Newark. The collective hosts events like venture pitch workshops, hackathons, and Wordpress 101 courses, to give budding entrepreneurs a leg up.

Additionally, Frasier founded ABF Creative, a podcast platform that distributes original and branded content. Shows include “Through Her Eyes” – a podcast which details the experiences of mothers who’ve lost their children to gun violence. The “Black Voices in Tech” podcast, sponsored by BET, features commentary from black tech professionals who offer roadmaps to success in the industry. According to the ABF Creative website, their mission is to “turn up the volume on narratives for multicultural audiences.”

Frasier has over a decade of experience in tech, media, speaking and coaching of aspiring entrepreneurs and students from underserved groups. Frasier serves as the entrepreneur in residence of Newark Venture Partners, a fund backed by Audible/Amazon. He helps to attract innovative tech startups to Newark and incubate promising talent locally. The author of the critically acclaimed “Don’t Dumb Down Your Greatness: A Young Entrepreneur’s Guide to Thinking & Being Great,” Frasier’s motivational blueprint for young entrepreneurs of color has spread globally. Frasier cofounded The Koalition, one of the first online video game publications for African Americans, and worked passionately as a journalist for several years. Frasier also serves on the board of directors for the NY Tech Alliance, focusing on making the greater New York City area more inclusive.

This webinar is pay what you wish to register. Pay any amount that you would like or nothing at all. Thanks to NewsMatch, all donations, up to $1,000, made toward this webinar will be matched. New monthly donations will be matched for a full year. Meaning if you donate $10 a month, Next City will receive an additional $120. This is a great chance to multiply your impact. Those who become sustaining members paying at least $10 a month, or making a one-time donation of $60, will receive the book “The Just City Essays: 26 Visions for Urban Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity” edited by Toni L. Griffin, Ariella Cohen and David Maddox. Your contribution toward this seminar will be used to find even more amazing guests, cover hosting fees, and organize seminars like this one more frequently. A video of the webinar will be made available to those who register.

This webinar is part of Next Newark, a series highlighting solutions from Newark, New Jersey, with support from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the Facebook Journalism Project.