Being a Black Woman in Technology & Product

Brown Girl Trending

Meet Danita Becker - a product leader who is passionate about using technology to solve real problems for real people. With a background in web development and 18 years of experience in the creation and management of digital solutions, Danita has developed and launched digital products in environments ranging from small businesses to non-profits to venture backed tech startups. Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Danita now lives in the Caribbean island of Barbados where she is working with a local community of entrepreneurs to launch new products and services that add value and economic sustainability for Barbadians.

In this episode we talk about:

• Early exposure to technology mattered Being a black woman in product and technology & the experiences that affected her
• Moments that helped to define who you are while being black in technology and product
• Challenge of how to express yourself authentically
• Assumptions of background and level of intellligence based on your appearance, color and gender... and you start to believe it
• Mental health became a big issue - awareness and choosing yourself
• Feelings of isolation became the norm as the only black person at the company
• Being excluded due to life experiences such as going to elite business schools, fraternities, upbringing, etc.
• Self-esteem and self-image ideas were challenged
• Perception of your own performance can often be tied to how you are filtering the information coming at you
• Encourage women of color to assess your mental health frequently because no one else is
• Elitism in the workplace
• Affirmative action at play
• Privilege is a type of affirmative action
• Being the “token” at a company or team
• Unconscious bias in hiring
• The challenges of a black man are different than that of a black woman in the workplace
• Confidence issues & insecurities derived from the workplace
• Success in a company isn’t always about you and your performance
• Mentorship and shared experiences are key for change within the product and technology industry

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