The Hidden Genius Project (HGP) hosted its 11th Annual “Brothers Code” STEAM event at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience.
The program was held during National Computer Science Education Week, an annual call-to-action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners to the field.
The chilly Saturday morning event featured approximately 100 Black male youth training in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills to transform their lives and communities. Many, already amid taking high school final exams, packed the center for a day of design thinking, robotics, and Scratch coding — a high-level, block-based visual programming language aimed primarily at children as an educational tool.
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While STEM learning incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math, STEAM incorporates art into that list of widely accepted activities, like the addition of color, texture, movement, and creation.
“That’s important because it’s an opportunity to continue to expose our young people to not only what’s possible, but also to what they’re passionate about,” stated CEO Dr. Brandon Nicholson.
“We’re also incorporating leadership and entrepreneurship into the whole of our experience around technology. It’s important for us as adults to not limit the potential by putting them into boxes,” he said.
HGP Site Coordinator Terrell Johnson made clear the vision of the organization.
“Black male youth demand, and are working towards, a future where their genius is celebrated, realized, and shines every day and is no longer hidden, suppressed, or belittled. We partner with like-minded organizations, like the Brotherhood Crusade, Boys & Girls Club of Compton, LAUSD, and others to help us get the word out to parents,” he cited.
The Hidden Genius Project events are presented by the Kapor Foundation, whose mission is building a Black tech ecosystem, investing in entrepreneurs and funds, and enhancing racial justice and equity in tech.
“We were founded in Oakland and have been in relationship with them since we started,” Nicholson continued. “They were the first organization locally that truly believed in where we were headed.”
“[Kapor] was making investments in computer science and STEM education and investing in the idea of how we build opportunities for Black boys and young men. Brothers Code is their idea, and the first event we held was in 2013 at the end of Computer Science Education Week. [Since then] they’ve helped us push the envelope for young people here and abroad,” he concluded.
Other sponsors include Uber, Marqeta, Kaiser Permanente, Goldman Sachs, Autodesk, Smartsheet, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
The day’s event also included a program for adults, parents, and community stakeholders to discuss how they might support youth entrepreneurs in leveraging their talents and ideas to build out their own ventures. Venetrea Craig is the mother of an LA1 Hidden Genius alum.
“My son was one of the pioneers in his AI class. He built a chatbot called ‘Hey Henry’ that performs similarly to [Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer],” she said. “Today we’re participating in a panel discussion on AI. I’m so excited!”
For more information on staff and student profiles, programs, events, careers, and how to join the team, visit www.hiddengeniusproject.org.
