28 Black Pioneers in Journalism, Design and Technology

When “Hidden Figures” premiered in 2016, the film, about black women working as “computers” for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s, stunned audiences. Until then, a lot of people might have assumed that the STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) had been limited to white men. While partially true, people of color and white women were around. They were there, and they made large contributions, broke barriers and set standards. Unfortunately, the issue of erasure--the phenomenon of rendering marginalized groups practically invisible, due to lack of recognition and discrepancies in who has the power to document history-- often obscures many black history stories outside sports, entertainment and activism.

Journalism, for instance, particularly digital journalism—driven by technology, data and visuals—would not exist in its contemporary form without contributions from many African Americans. Shockwave, GPS, video streaming, the PC, microphones and cellphone technology are in our lives today thanks to the work and talent of black people. So in honor of Black History Month, this project highlights some of the hidden figures in digital journalism history. These 28 men, women and groups have helped shape modern media, and/or have paved the way for others to do so. They are the unsung, the forgotten, and the erased trailblazers of the intersection of journalism, design and technology.