AfroTech networking conference returns to Austin
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.

Simone White and Morgan DeBaun, organizers of AfroTech, take the stage during the conference last year. Photo: Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for AFROTECH
A major conference aimed at promoting Black professionals in the tech sector kicks off Wednesday in Austin.
Why it matters: The AfroTech Conference is a key networking and mentoring event in an industry that has seen limited executive opportunities for people of color.
Details: Sessions at this year's conference, at the Austin Convention Center, include "Innovations, Patents and Black Excellence," "Ensuring Longevity for Men of Color" and "Centering Black Travelers through Technology."
- Speakers include actress, producer and writer Issa Rae; producer, artist and entrepreneur Timbaland; and TIME chief marketing officer Sade Muhammad.
Flashback: When the conference launched in 2016, "We were hearing that there are no Black professionals to hire," Simone White, a senior vice president for AfroTech, tells Axios.
- "So part of our mission is to debunk that idea, that there are no Black engineers and product managers," she says.
What they're saying: Now, conference themes have gone further.
- "We have an issue with diverse leadership, about how to make it a core principle instead of an afterthought or something forced to do because someone has called them out on Twitter," White says of tech companies.
- Retention is another theme. "How do you foster a community that holds onto workers? How do you really build teams that are truly diverse?"
The intrigue: The conference comes during a wider downturn in the sector.
Yes, but: Some signs suggest the tech sector has already reached its layoffs peak.
- And more than a hundred organizations — from Microsoft to the FBI — are "all utilizing the AfroTech Conference to support DEI commitments," per a conference press release.
Catching our eye: The "Black Future Newsstand," which imagines a future with a thriving Black-owned media landscape that "reflects the wholeness of Black experiences," Diamond Hardiman, reparative journalism program manager at Media 2070, which examines how the media can serve as a lever for racial justice, tells Axios.
- "We want Black folks to be able to own and control their stories, from ideation through distribution," Hardiman said.
- You can visit the newsstand at the Center for Cultural Power's Mixed Media Mixer Art Show, at Speakeasy on 412 Congress Ave. from 4-8pm Thursday.
Plus: At a makers market starting Friday, more than two dozen local Black-owned businesses will sell their wares at Republic Square Park.
