Computer code bootcamps provide students with accelerated training in computer programming and job skills with the dual end goals of upward social mobility and increased community contribution.

University of Missouri-Kansas City assistant professor Antonio Byrd discusses the ins and outs of that approach to meeting those goals and shares stories of Black adults who studied web design, and learned how to be successful on the job, at a computer code bootcamp.

The stories reveal how deep racism runs in tech companies but also show the transformative power of computer programming skills. Byrd, whose Ph.D. is in composition and rhetoric, reflects on and talks about what these observed experiences mean for the Black community in Kansas City. Following his presentation, Byrd invites the audience to participate in the discussion.

The presentation draws from Byrd’s soon-to-be-released book, From Pipeline to Black Tech Ecosystems: How Black Adults Use Computer Code Bootcamps for Liberation.