Leading Without Permission: Building Digital Diaspora as an Afro-Latina
summary
Built from the ground up in Colombia without institutional backing or funding, Digital Diaspora organizes meetups and a chat network, runs a 30-person bootcamp that leads to three hires through TransUnion, seeds branches like Ubuntu Tech, and partners with Platzi and Manos Visibles. The project uses volunteers, sponsorships, Python and community events as tools, pursues a 2026 policy effort with the Ministry of Technology to guarantee electricity and internet in Black regions, and measures impact by hires and program replication.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction
- 4:20Colombia’s tech hub Medellín
- 6:45Lack of representation in tech
- 9:14Diversity and systemic barriers
- 12:02Diversity for innovation
- 14:07Mentorship to sponsorship
- 15:52Nothing about us without us
- 16:55Founding Digital Diaspora
- 19:26First meetup and impact
- 21:34Partnerships and reach
- 23:22How to get involved
- 24:06Q&A
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