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Miami’s Black Tech Week expected to soar

Team Eagles upset Team Patriots in the Super Bowl, but is South Florida “fielding a full team” to pull off a similar upset in the tech world?

For Miami to be successful in technology, it can’t imitate Silicon Valley’s notorious white guy’s only approach from the 1980s — excluding the women, Latinos and African Americans make up America’s full team of genius.

Miami’s Black Tech Week is under way through Feb. 10, and will rival anything you might have found at SXSW in its early days.

BMe Community Genius Derick Pearson and his spouse, Felecia Hatcher, created Black Tech Week with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and this time they’ve outdone themselves.

The event features dozens of black speakers who are venture capitalists, marketing experts and successful technologists from across the country. Their presence challenges the myth that blacks are consumers rather than creators of technology, and it puts black genius on display.

BMe Community, the group that awarded Pearson a fellowship, recognizes black genius year-round and is in the process of both celebrating Black Genius during Black History Month and awarding new BMe Community Genius Fellowships, which include a $10,000 grant. Apply before Feb. 28 at:

www.BMeCommunity.

org/Apply.

Let’s be clear. You don’t have to be black or a member of BMe Community to participate.

The whole point is to value all members of the human family and make our futures better together.

The white guys in the Valley may have a dynasty like the New England Patriots have in football, but last I heard, when you put all your players on the field and the rules are evenly enforced, then the best team soars! You know, like Eagles.

Trabian Shorters,

author, founder,

BMe Community,

Miami

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