Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/486571
I N T H E N E W S B M & T ••• January/February 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 8 BEYOND THE BOROUGHS NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SERENA WILLIAMS FUND Women's Tennis Champion Teams Up with Beyond the Boroughs to Send Students to College The Beyond the Boroughs National Scholarship Fund, http://www.beyondtheboroughs.org/, a charity organization focused on providing college scholarships to deserving students who have unmet financial needs, announced their partnership with worldwide tennis megastar Serena Williams and her charitable organization The Serena Williams Fund, http://serenawilliams.com/founda- tion/. Williams, ranked six times as the number one women's sin- gles player worldwide, has selected Beyond the Boroughs to administer her college scholarship program. The Serena Williams Fund was established with two goals in mind; to pro- vide assistance to youth whose families have been affected by violent crimes, as well as to assist college-bound youth from low income backgrounds in receiving the highest quality education possible. Beyond the Boroughs, being the perfect partner for the organization in terms of educational assistance, will work with Williams' organization to manage the application process, vet- NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS RATIFIES RESOLUTION CALLING ON GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, OTHERS TO INCREASE DIVERSITY IN EMPLOYMENT On December 12, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) ratified a resolution titled "Supporting the Diversification of Tech Industry's Empowerment" which calls on tech companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and others to diversify their workforces through more robust outreach to minority communities. The resolution was sponsored by Reps. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (SC), John King (SC), Carl Anderson (SC), Joe Armstrong (TN), Alan Williams (FL), Geraldine Thompson (FL), Laura V. Hall (AL), and Floyd McKissick (NC). "When Google and Facebook released their dismal diversity statistics of their workforce earlier this year, it became clear that the lack of diversity in the technology firms was not just a trend, it is a reality," Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter of South Carolina stated. "This resolution is an opportunity to identify both the problem and potential solutions to this pressing issue." Technology jobs are among the highest paying and fastest growing in the country. They also offer the opportunity to be on the forefront of major innovations. If minorities cannot contribute to this phenomenon, they will never be able to reap its full benefits. "Through partnerships with Black, Hispanic, and women's organizations, tech companies like Google and Facebook can make inroads into a community they have too long neglected," Rep. Cobb-Hunter continued. "Minorities are avid users of technology, but for too long have been omitted from the creative process." NBCSL hopes to be at the forefront of bringing minority workers and technology companies together into a mutually beneficial partnership. Tackling this problem is one of many daunting challenges facing Silicon Valley and through resolutions like these, the NBCSL hopes to raise awareness and take concrete steps in increasing minority representation in the tech industry. For more infor- mation: media@theminorityeye.com. The campaign for Equality in Technology seeks to raise awareness of the startling minority employment gap in the US technology sector. Equality in Technology is asking that industry leaders in technology enact reasonable accommodations to remove employment barriers faced by members of the three designated minority groups, women, African-Americans and Hispanics. Employers are also asked to institute positive policies for the hiring, training, retention, and promotion of members of these marginalized groups. Gilda Cobb-Hunter