TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

• Who: Our speaker lineup (and you)
• What: See our prior events on our Youtube channel
• When: June 16th View the full schedule
• Where: Microsoft Chicago offices 200 E. Randolph Chicago, IL 60601 or online
• Why: To celebrate Black Excellence in technology, promote Black technology professionals, and to encourage future Black technologists to explore careers in the field

The Cause

The mission of Juneteenth Conference is to create a space to celebrate Black professionals in Technology. We all know too well how the refrain from tech companies regarding underrepresentation of Black people is that "it's a pipeline issue." Extending from that mission, we are addressing the pipeline issue head on with our Black Tech High School Internship Program.

Your ticket is free with an optional donation. All donations are fully deductible as a 501c3 Charitable Contribution and will help us reach our goal of providing Black high school students with paid internships to prepare for tech careers.

The Experience

Juneteenth Conference 2023 will be the first time we've gathered in person. We're hosting a event with a wonderful roster of speakers. Your in person ticket gets you access to the event in downtown Chicago. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Keynote Speaker Tim Banks: The Solace of You

Joining us as Keynote speaker is Tim Banks who will share with us how finding solace in himself gave him the foundation to live and work unapologetically.

Tim’s tech career spans over 25 years through various sectors. Tim’s initial journey into tech started in avionics in the US Marine Corps and then into various government contracting roles. After moving to the private sector, Tim worked both in large corporate environments and in small startups, honing his skills in systems administration, automation, architecture, and operations for large cloud-based datastores.

Today, Tim leverages his years in operations, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineering to advise and consult with the open source and cloud computing communities in his current role. Tim is also a competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner. He has won the American National and is the 5-time and current reigning Pan American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion in his division.

Right Within: A Fireside Chat with Minda Harts

Continuing on the theme from Tim Banks, we are also pleased to have Minda Harts join us for a conversation about being our authentic selves in a professional world that wants us to take up less space.

Minda Harts is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table as well as Right Within: How to Heal from Racial Trauma in the Workplace, and her first YA book, You Are More Than Magic.

About The Conference

Juneteenth Conference celebrates and highlights Black professionals in the tech industry. Our mission is to create a space where Black technologists can come together, connect, learn, and grow in their careers.

The journey of Juneteenth Conference started in 2020, when our initial conference was held virtually in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and during the pandemic. Despite the challenges of the moment, we planned, organized, and launched the conference in two weeks, featuring two days of sessions with all Black speakers and thousands of attendees.

Since then, Juneteenth Conference has grown into a highly anticipated event in the tech industry, attracting attendees from all over the world. We provide a platform for Black technologists to showcase their work, connect with their peers, and learn from leaders in the field.

For 2023, Juneteenth Conference will be held in-person for the first time, hosted in Chicago on June 15th and 16th, the Thursday and Friday before Juneteenth. This milestone event will provide attendees with a unique opportunity to connect, network, and learn in person.

We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming space for Black technologists and we believe that Juneteenth Conference has the potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the tech industry. We are grateful for the support of our attendees, sponsors, and partners, and look forward to growing and evolving Juneteenth Conference in the years to come.