Kat Calvin is an African-American activist, entrepreneur, and author.[1][2] [3]She is the founder of Spread the Vote and Project ID and the Co-founder of Blerdology.[3][4] Calvin's organization supports Americans to obtain their IDs for housing, jobs, and voting. [1] Additionally, Calvin advocates for advanced minority representation in the STEM field.[4][5]
 | |
| Nationality | African-American |
|---|---|
| Known For | Founder of Spread the Vote and Project ID
Co-Founder of Blerdology Founder Character's Closet First Hackathon Targeting African-Americans American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist. Amistad, 2023 |
| Academics | Mount Holyoke College University of Michigan Law School |
| Awards and Nominations | TIME Magazine 16 People and Groups Fighting for a More Equal America
2018 Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business The Grio 100 Business Insider 30 Under 30 |
| Website | www.katcalvin.com |
Early life and education
editCalvin grew up as a child of a parent(s) who served full-time in the United States Armed Forces. She lived in Seattle and Sierra Vista, AZ.[6] In 2005, Calvin graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor’s in theater.[7] From 2007 to 2010 Calvin attended the University of Michigan Law School, receiving her doctorate.[1][6]
Career
editKat Calvin, Amanda Spann, and Janelle Jolley created the hackathon series” Black Girls Hack” exclusively for black girls, becoming the first non-profit hackathon catering to the African-American community.[8] This hackathon was a network of leading tech startups created and financed by black women.[8]
Calvin aimed to spark interest in young girls of color fostering a comprehensive national workforce for the tech industry.[9][10] Black Girls Hack allows girls of color to create solutions for evolving digital problems.[9] [10]Before the second hackathon event, Janelle Jolley departed from her position with Black Girls Hack as it went into a rebranding/reorganization stage creating Blerdology: The Science of Black Nerds to reach a wider spectrum of participants and sponsorships to celebrate the Black Tech community.[11] [6]
The first Blerdology hackathon in November 2013, introduced fifty developers and coders to create a mobile application with some of the proceeds from the event going to Black Girls Code, to advance young black girls across America in their pursuit of computer programming.[6]
Blerdology sought out second-tier markets such as Newark and Detroit for people of color interested in technology while connecting with Rutgers Business School to host its second hackathon event.[6] Blerdology generated a hashtag #BlackHack to promote its new partnership with Rutgers Business School.[11][6][12]
Calvin has created other entrepreneurial enterprises to improve the relationship between African Americans and the voting community, so in 2017, Calvin founded the non-profit organization Spread the Vote.[12][5][3][7] Spread the Vote’s mission is to close the gap between registered voters and voter turnout by helping them get photo IDs monetarily in states that require identification to vote.[5][13][3][7] Spread the Vote was awarded a grant from New Media Ventures (NMV) which is a network of investors that fund media and tech startups.[13]
Calvin created two other satellite political non-profits under the Spread the Vote organization.[14] Project ID and Project ID Action Fund seek to educate further and empower its voters through laws and policies.[14][4][3] Project ID introduced a bill into Congress, The IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act creating free federal IDs for Americans.[14][4]
In 2023, Calvin became the author of “American Identity in Crisis,” which was released on the 19th of September.[4] Her book details how 26 million American adults have no government ID.[4]
Awards and nominations
edit- TIME Magazine's 16 People and Groups Fighting for a More Equal America[4]
- 2018, Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business[5]
- The Grio 100[9]
- Business Insider 30 under 30[12]
Selected publication
edit- Calvin, Kat. American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist. Amistad, 2023.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Kat Calvin - SheSource Expert - Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
- ^ "Women leaders convene at MHC. | Mount Holyoke College". www.mtholyoke.edu. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ a b c d e NWATU, IJEOMA S. (October 23, 2020). "She, The People: How Kat Calvin Is Working To Ensure Minorities Have Proper Voter Identification".
- ^ a b c d e f g On, Keen (2023-09-21). "Kat Calvin on Fighting for Those Without Documentation". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ a b c d Corin, Jaclyn (March 22, 2024). "THE MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE IN BUSINESS 2018". Fast Company.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hacking the Science of Black Nerds". BET. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ a b c "These 16 People and Groups Are Fighting for a More Equal America". TIME. 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ a b The Grio Staff (November 22, 2012). ""Black Girls Hack Holds First Non-Profit Hackathon Targeting African-Americans in Tech"". The Grio.
- ^ a b c Staff, TheGrio (January 15, 2013). "theGrio's 100: Kat Calvin, founder of 'Black Girls Hack'". TheGrio. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ a b Clark, Kevin L. (May 22, 2013). ""A Chat with the Founders of Blerdology on The Science of Black Nerds"". Vibe.
- ^ a b Martinez, Janel (February 18, 2013). "" Black Girls Hack Changes Name to Blerdology"". Black Enterprise.
- ^ a b c Dickey, Megan Rose. "The 30 Most Important Women Under 30 In Tech". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ a b Monellaro, Zack (June 5, 2018). ""Liberal Seed Fund Announces $1.2 M in New Funding"". Politico.
- ^ a b c Comber-Wilen, Violet (October 7, 2022). ""People Without IDs Face Barriers for Voting"". WFYI Indianapolis.