Prince Quietly Helped Launch a Coding Program for Inner City Youth
Resource type: News
By Olivia Goldhill
Though many would say Prince changed the world through his music, the artist also took a hands-on approach to changing the world beyond music.
The global superstar was the inspiration behind YesWeCode, an Oakland nonprofit, which works to help young people from minority backgrounds enter the tech world.
The idea for the program came from a conversation between Prince and his friend Van Jones, who heads Rebuild the Dream charity, following the 2012 shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin.
“Prince said … ‘A black kid wearing a hoodie might be seen as a thug. A white kid wearing a hoodie might be seen as a Silicon Valley genius. Let’s teach the black kids how to be like Mark Zuckerberg.’” Jones told CNN.
> Continue reading this article at Quartz.com
Learn More
- ‘Thank You Prince’, #YesWeCode
- Prince’s vision for lifting up black youths: Get them to code, CNN
- Bridging the Gap Between Oakland and Silicon Valley
#YesWeCode (via Green For All) is an Atlantic grantee.