Street Genius ATX: Empowerment Groups Unite to do Something for the Boys
During the early aughts schools, corporations and government pushed to create more opportunities for girls in STEM, at times prioritizing girls of color. They delivered on this promise with unique programs, funding and campaigns. And, even though researchers and public discourse have also highlighted the myriad of ways Black and Latino boys have been negatively impacted by biased and systemic factors within the educational system – empowerment campaigns have yet to catch up to their specialized needs. Instead, they are disproportionately disciplined in school and over-policed on even the most banal of things, such as hairstyle.
Leveraging decades of success outcomes supporting men and girls in Austin, Austin’s Urban Technology Movement, 100 Black Men Austin, Con Mi Madre, LMNTs, home to the Frontera Leadership Institute (formerly the University of Texas’s Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship department, Latino Arts Culture and Education Texas, and creators and founders like Lucero Creative and the Radical Consultant launched Street Genius, a collaborative of short term activities for boys 9-15 with young men at the helm of mentoring and instruction using the vehicles of art, design thinking and holistic well-being. The kick off event at Southwest Key’s Victor R. Garza Community Center on March 23, 2024 featured an invocation by Austin City Council Member Jose Velasquez, a keynote by Grammy nominated activist and artist SaulPaul and meditation and yoga session with Linda Natera of Sana Yoga.
Michael Ward, Jr. founder of Austin Urban Technology Movement explained, “AUTMHQ has cultivated a pipeline of support for Black and Brown men to engage in the city’s most flourishing and lucrative industries: technology and manufacturing. Street Genius is about creating a space to connect that network through mentoring and career exposure to the boys and teens coming up behind them.”
Street Genius will host activities in design thinking, art and entrepreneurship in holistic and competitive ways. Career presenters will join the attendees for some speed mentoring and event partners Tesla, Intel and PIMCO will be providing volunteer coaches.
Laura Donnelly, Founder and former CEO of Latinitas, one of handful of culturally reflective and literate STEM nonprofits nationwide and mom of a 14 year old “Latinito” said, “We are a collective of nonprofits that have over-indexed on success outcomes for adults and girls of color and are applying those same tenants to creating safe, supported space for boys.”
