I was lucky. Half black kid from Texas in a single parent household. Those read like the statistics of a “troubled youth”. A combination of my curiosity, my desire to learn, and my drive to do better helped get me where I was today. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the fact that I received a lot of help along the way. No one is an island and everyone grows when they have support. Many people do not get the opportunity to receive the support and the help that they need. Just being in the wrong zip code can shut down your opportunities. I am committing to help the next generation of diverse tech talent through various DEI efforts. If you need a speaker, donation, fundraiser, or shout out, reach out to me at howdy (at) jasonsmith.io
There are a number of reputable charitable oranizations out there in the world. Most of them are run by hardworking individuals who do it for the love of the work, not the money. They are also very dependent on volunteers and donations.
I truly believe that we should all contribute to our community. I wanted to list some charities that are important to me and that I donate to, volunteer with or both. I want to encourage others to support these groups but if they don’t resonante with you, please find some that do. Charity Navigator is a great organization that can help you find charities as well as check their reputation.
Without further ado, these are charities that I support and encourage others to do as well
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will always be important to me. Not just because I am an ethnic minority in America but because the world is a very diverse place. Sadly, history hasn’t always seen that as a good thing and while we have made progress, there is still a lot of work to be done. I commit myself to helping with diversity programs in everything that I do. I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to have a voice at the table and that we should elevate the voices that have been silenced for decades.