Save the Date 2023 Hip Hop Hackathon!
Join the Hip Hop Hackathon and be a part of a movement that values diversity and inclusion in STEM innovation.

Save the date for the Hip Hop Hackathon competition starting on August 11 World Hip Hop Day and continuing through August 31, 2023 and mark your calendars now to make sure you don't miss this opportunity to showcase your skills, network with like-minded individuals, and make a difference in our community.

Live informational, training and entertainment events will take place in New York, Los Angeles, and SF Bay Area with local nonprofits and tech companies in June - September 2023.

Stay tuned for the updated schedule in the coming days!
What is the Hip Hop Hackathon?
Hip Hop Hackathon says "Permission Not Required" to give undervalued talent access to the best of STEM.

Hip Hop Hackathon is a community of creators, makers, and changemakers who have the power to craft the future of technology and culture by leveraging their unique talents to build solutions that address real-world problems. We know that our movement is not limited to the three pillars of rap, dance, and technology. We are artists and creators from all walks of life who have the potential to combine their expertise across a variety of disciplines to empower the culture.
Support Hip Hop Hackathon
Check out this replay from Drew at Black Dollar Fund with the TikTok shoutout re Hip Hop Hackathon about why it is important to spread the word to Black and Brown communities about the opportunities in tech and STEM. And if you know of someone who needs support in getting a job or starting a business in tech share this video!

And because almost no one funds Black and Brown people getting tech jobs, starting businesses or obtaining wealth, we're asking you to join our team and support this movement.

This is an unacceptable state of affairs and we ask that you let the world know that by contributing to Hip Hop Hackathon. It takes a village and while Data 360 is small and mighty, we cannot do this work alone.
Hip Hop Hackathon - New jobs and grants for businesses in tech! Spread the word ...
Apprenticeships build a bridge
Here's an overview of the Bitwise Apprenticeship program which provides a great story as to why apprenticeships are important.

For the Hip Hop Hackathon, we're promoting dozens of apprenticeship and certification programs across many different tech companies to expose Black and Brown workers to new opportunities in tech and STEM. Let's take a deep dive into supporting Black and Brown workers with apprenticeships first.

According to the Huffington Post, less than 5% of the United States’ population has a STEM degree. This is shocking in a time where we need more tech professionals in the workforce than ever before.

Apprenticeships are important for access to tech. Over 75% of US businesses report having a hard time recruiting skilled job applicants. More and more companies are looking to expand their hiring beyond traditional college degrees and into apprenticeships, as a solution to fill the talent gap.
Hip Hop Hackathon - Apprenticeships are key to helping Black and Brown students and adults get STEM jobs.

Check out the whole playlist for Hip Hop Hackathon on YouTube.


And because almost no one funds Black and Brown people getting tech jobs, starting businesses or obtaining wealth, we're asking you to join our team and support this movement.

This is an unacceptable state of affairs and we ask that you let the world know that by contributing to Hip Hop Hackathon. It takes a village and while our team is small and mighty, we cannot do this work alone.
Why Hip Hop Hackathon?
The Hip Hop Hackathon came together in response to the alarming stats for Blacks and Latinos in STEM.

The proportion of bachelor’s degrees in science awarded to Black graduates remained flat at about 9 percent from 2001 to 2016, according to the most recent available figures from the National Science Foundation; in engineering, it declined from 5 percent to 4 percent; and in math, it dropped from 7 percent to 4 percent.

More recent figures released in April 2021 by the Pew Research Center show that, in 2018, Black students earned 7 percent of STEM bachelor’s degrees.

College-going trends that have occurred during the pandemic threaten to lower these proportions even further. Total Black undergraduate enrollment at universities and colleges is down by more than 7 percent this semester from where it was last spring, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports.

According to a Pew Research Center report from April 2021, Hispanic people make up 17% of the total workforce, but only 8% of workers in the STEM field. Comparatively, white workers make up 63% of the overall workforce and 67% of STEM workers. Furthermore, the average Hispanic STEM worker makes only 83% of the average white worker's salary. These inequities demonstrate how STEM has routinely favored white workers while disfavoring Hispanic individuals.

While Hispanic representation in STEM has grown one percentage point since 2018, more needs to be done by higher education institutions and hiring managers to help fix this underrepresentation, but that will take time. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), STEM jobs are the hardest to fill. A 2013 Global Executive Solutions Group study found STEM jobs took 50 days to fill on average — 16 days longer than jobs with no education requirements.

Historically, Hispanic and Latino/a students have been underserved in STEM fields due to divergences in the education system. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2021, Hispanics earned 15% of all bachelor's degrees in the U.S., but only 12% of STEM degrees. At the master's level, they earned 11% of degrees overall, but only 9% of STEM degrees.
According to a 2020 Student Research Foundation (SRF) report, despite having similar STEM interests and aspirations as their non-Hispanic white and Asian peers, Hispanic high school students were less likely to have internet access and digital preparation. Due to this systemic lack of support, they also enrolled in fewer STEM classes, received lower grades, had lower confidence levels, and planned to attend community college (as opposed to a four-year school) at higher rates.

The numbers for Hispanic women in STEM look even worse. The SRF report found that Hispanic women represented 7% of the total workforce, but just 2% of STEM workers in 2018. Despite earning higher average grades than men, Hispanic women experienced the lowest levels of STEM confidence, and their interests and aspirations in STEM were lower than those of Hispanic men.

Among the many reasons for these divisions, differences in preparedness and socioeconomic status play a significant role. Hispanic students were more likely than their peers to attend under-resourced schools, come from lower-income households, and experience financial restrictions to higher education. Xenophobic and racist messaging and a lack of Hispanic visibility in STEM careers also dissuade young Hispanic and Latino/a students — especially women — from pursuing the discipline.

In addition to bringing together talented young people from undervalued communities, the Hackathon creates a venue for showcasing the creativity and building skillsets that can lead to a lucrative stream of income in a variety of high-demand careers in the tech sector.

Hip Hop was built on the idea of making the most of what you have, not waiting for permission. That’s why Hip Hop Hackathon is excited to announce the launch of our first ever STEM challenge. By creating Hip Hop workshops that focus on technology and programming, we’re making it easier for minority students to break into the tech industry. Join us as we present this challenge to rising talent with updated creative, technical and innovative resources.

We are focused on providing opportunities and mentorship to traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities through the power of technology. The hackathon's goals are:

1. To promote STEM education and careers,
2. To encourage everyone with an interest in computer science to pursue higher education or training,
3. To build community within the larger Hip Hop communities around the United States and beyond to a global audience, and
4. To celebrate the legacy of the culture of Hip Hop.

What Should You Expect?
Create teams!
Organize a great team of several people! Alternatively, you can work solo.
Brainstorming
Brainstorm, create, test! You will have a day and a night to present your project to the jury.
Innovations
Create an innovative idea! We believe the new generation can open the best ways in tech.
Honors
Every team will get prizes from our sponsors, and special prizes of
$10,000 in software and more!
Tracks of the Hackathon
Game and Interactive Innovations
Game and Interactive Innovations offers an opportunity to work on PlayStation, Oculus, Google AR/VR and Microsoft Hololens and virtual space, so come together to work with new sceneries, designs, and code.
Social Services
New ideas for banking, time management, social living, meeting, sharing, and others. Improve social life and communications with your ideas!
AR/VR Advertising
Advertising is everywhere. Catch a chance to become a part of its reinvention. Create new conceptions for AR/VR marketing in real life!
Learning and education
Research has been done on learning in virtual systems and virtual reality, as its immersive qualities may enhance learning. Maybe you are the one who knows how to learn faster and more efficiently!
Product development
This track is about innovations in real-life products. Any product can always be improved. Or maybe you will design something special, something we didn’t even think about?
Take Part in Nominations
Best new game project
Best social innovation
Best educational innovation
Best usability innovation
Learn about the many Black Scientists and Inventors

These inventors made modern life possible throughout the globe. Do you know who invented the longest lasting light bulb? No it wasn't Edison. It was Lewis Latimer. Learn more about the inventors of the telephone transmitter, the railway, the subway, the roller coaster, refrigeration, the home security system, traffic lights, the gas mask and much more. See Day 1 and Day 2 of the articles published on LinkedIn.

Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. (March 4, 1877 – July 27, 1963) was an African American inventor, businessman, and community leader. His most notable inventions were a three-position traffic signal and a smoke hood (a predecessor to the gas mask) notably used in a 1916 tunnel construction disaster rescue.
Do you know who invented the longest lasting light bulb? No it wasn't Edison. It was Lewis Latimer.
Charles Baker is an American inventor, who patented the friction heater. Baker started a business with several other men to manufacture the heater. The Friction Heat & Boiler Company was established in 1904, in St. Joseph, with Baker on the board of directors. The company worked up to $136,000 in capital, equal to nearly $6 million in 2022.
Sylvia Robinson was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. Robinson had two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with the 1957 single "Love Is Strange", and her solo record "Pillow Talk" in 1973. She later became known for her work as founder and CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records.
Benjamin Banneker was a Mathematician and astronomer who planned all the construction of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington D.C., Benjamin Banneker is known for The first African American to create a scientific book, an almanac published in 1791. 
Dr. Gladys West helped develop the GPS (Global Positioning System). She is responsible for the math used in GPS technology. You can thank her the next time you use any navigation device like Google Maps to get around!
Celebrating Latinos in STEM

In order to encourage Latino participants in Hip Hop Hackathon to learn more about the STEM field and close the gap by pursing STEM careers, we are featuring the following famous and well regarded Latinx scientists and inventors. See the article published on LinkedIn on May 9, 2022.

Mario Molina is a Mexican scientist and chemist. In 1995, he won a Nobel Prize for his research on how man-made compounds affect the ozone layer. He became interested in science as a young boy and created a chemistry lab in the bathroom.

Mario Molina received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2013. His contributions changed the course of history as he raised awareness on how important it is for us to protect the ozone layer.
César Milstein is a Nobel Prize winning biochemist who has opened new doors in the diagnosis and treatment of disease since the 1970s. In 1975, his study on monoclonal antibodies helped develop a technique for the unlimited production of monoclonal antibodies. Thanks to Milstein’s efforts, monoclonal antibodies now serve as treatments for autoimmune diseases.
Professor Pedro A. Sanchez went from selling eggs in Cuba to washing dishes to fund his education at Cornell University in New York. He has led groundbreaking research in soil science to help improve soil quality and boost food production in developing countries. Sanchez’s work spurred the Green Revolution for 15 million people.

Dr. Frances Colon grew up in Puerto Rico and earned her PhD in neuroscience from Brandeis University. She was the Science and Technology Adviser and Secretary at John Kerry University.

In 2009, she led the Energy and Climate Partnership for the Americas. In 2015, she co-chaired the UN Commission on Science and Technology. Colón led an Obama administration initiative to accelerate sustainable energy in the Americas.

She’s been a pioneer in neuroscience and sustainability. Dr. Colón is also an outspoken advocate for women and girls who want to pursue careers in science.

Ynes Mexia is one of the most famous Hispanic American scientists of all time. She’s a Mexican-American botanist who discovered two new plant genera and 500 new plant species.
Ellen Ochoa was a research engineer and inventor who created optical systems for aerospace missions. She began working at the Johnson Space Center in 1990 and was selected to be an astronaut.
Ochoa served as director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston from 2013 to 2018. She was the center’s first woman Hispanic director and the first Latina in space.

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