NAACP’s Tech Crawl Encourages Students to Pursue Future Careers in Tech, Science and Engineering in Pasadena

Black and Hispanic workers have long been underrepresented in the tech industry. 

In 2014, Google published the first racial and gender breakdown of its workforce, showing that 1.9 percent of workers were Black. Seven years later in 2021, just 4.4 percent of its workforce was Black.

According to the think tank Brookings Institution, in 2018, Black workers accounted for nearly 12 percent of the total U.S. workforce but only 8 percent of tech workers.

To address this underrepresentation, NAACP Pasadena is encouraging middle and high school students to get involved in the tech and science industry in Pasadena by participating in ‘Tech Crawl’.  

For young students fascinated by science, technology and engineering, Tech Crawl presents a unique opportunity to walk from one tech business to another in Old Pasadena on Thursday, Oct. 13. 

“The intent of showing young people local businesses is to have them see that their STEM education can be applied to something real, that you can make, you can create yourself,” NAACP Pasadena president, Allen Edson said. 

“As this industry blossoms here in Pasadena, we want to be able to have young people go to college and come back to Pasadena and live and work and so this gives people an opportunity to see that there are possibilities for a positive future here in Pasadena,” Edson said. 

NAACP Pasadena is hosting the tech crawl event in partnership with Innovate Pasadena. The Crawl is part of ConnectWeek Pasadena 2022.

“It’s a big thing for the NAACP to work with Innovate Pasadena. We need to have more diverse ideas and creativity in this field. This is something that we can build on when we start talking about future careers, but also for people being able to earn enough money to afford to live in Pasadena. It’s a positive on all ends,” Edson added. 

The Tech Crawl is primarily geared towards encouraging STEM students from middle school to community college to learn more about STEM industries where science, technology, engineering, and math are put to practical use.

By hosting the event, NAACP Pasadena hopes parents will learn more about STEM industries and to be interested in their child’s creativity.

Tech Crawl begins at about 5:30 p.m. from Livery Studio at 155 S. Fair Oaks Ave. and stops at several tech businesses in Old Pasadena. It goes on until about 8 p.m.

“Parents are encouraged to come to this Tech Crawl, and my hope is that this creates the opportunity for a parent and child to start talking about things and particularly talking about what they are learning in their STEM curriculum,” Edson said. 

“Parents may be able to motivate some young people, but also the idea is for the young students to ask questions. And so one of the questions to ask is, ‘do you or does your company have any internships?’ And then they can go from there.”

To RSVP for Tech Crawl, visit www.connectpasadena.com/event/tech-crawl-getting-creative-with-stem.