UKBlackTech create stock photo's featuring BAMEs using tech

by Startacus Admin

A lack of BME in Tech representative images led to UKBlackTech driving a simple but effective solution to shoot a series of stock images featuring BAMEs using tech.

After speaking to a wide cross section of BME in Tech, as well young BME individuals who aspire to enter the tech sector, UKBlackTech clearly identified that BME (Black and minority ethnic) do not see themselves represented in the media and images that exist of the tech sector.

The few images that are available tend to be of PoC in the tech sector in America, and as such there are not many that directly represent or appeal to a British audience. The images that do exist of British Black and minority ethnics in tech are often difficult to access and are not necessarily of high quality.

After pinpointing this issue, a number of individuals including Nene Parsotam (Senior Art Director of Vine Creatives) Julian Hall (founder of Ultra Education and Startup Dash), Debs Durojaiye (General Organiser for AfroTech Fest), Deborah Okenla (Founder of Your Startup – Your Story) and Andy Ayim (current lead on the project www.Twiiged.io) came together in collaboration with UkBlackTech to create an effective solution to tackle this issue.

The simple but effective solution was to facilitate a photoshoot (shot in Dec 2017) featuring individuals of Black and minority ethnics, adults and children alike, using tech and being in tech spaces.

There were two focus areas – adults and children. The adult shots focused on BME individuals in boardroom, meeting environments, interacting with different forms of tech, and working within the tech space. The Children’s shots featured children of BME backgrounds, interacting with different forms of tech, specifically VR headsets, laptops, computers, as well as interacting with adults and each other.

UKBlackTech are dedicated to finding ways to increase the profile of Black and minority ethnics in tech, as well creating solutions to problems encountered in the pursuit of this.

Startacus previously featured UKBlackTech in our article on diversity in tech communities and platforms and should be commended for driving forward with this simple but very effective solution. 

Projects like this and the recent initiative by a group of young Brixton activists who recreated film posters with black leads are a step in the right direction. Finding decent stock images of BAMEs using tech is indeed pretty tough and we will ourselves be sure to make the most of this opportunity to better represent the true diversity of the UK tech scene and to help drive an inclusive tech economy.

The UKBlackTech photos are available Creative Commons Attribution  - License which means that you may copy, distribute, and display the images as long as you attribute UKBlackTech or www.ukblacktech.com.

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• #diversity in tech
• #ukblacktech
• #bame
• #bme
• #photos
• #stock images

Published on: 3rd March 2018