LPFI to Host Social Justice-Themed Hackathon In Atlanta

For Planning Purposes Only
Contact:
Derek Turner
***PRESS ADVISORY***
Students to Leverage Tech to Tackle Social Justice Issues During LPFI Computer Coding Event in Atlanta
Finalist Pitches, Keynote &  Award Ceremony 
September 27h, 2015 @3pm ET
Morehouse College, Sale Hall, 830 Westview Dr. SW,  Atlanta, GA 30314

Hack_ATL_FinalWHO:
David Johns, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans; Jewel Burks; Founder Partpic; Danielle Rose, Director of Programs, Level Playing Field Institute.

WHAT:
8th, 9th and 10th grade students from the Atlanta area will compete for college scholarships as the culmination of the Level the Coding Field Hackathon, a two-day computer coding event designed to expose underrepresented students of color to computer science and to promote production rather than just consumption of technology.  Over the weekend, students have learned how to develop their own apps. Each member of the winning team will receive a $500 college scholarship while members of the second place team will each receive a $150.00 college scholarship.

 

Participants will hear from David Johns, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and Jewel Burks, founder of tech startup Partpic. Additionally, the finalist will have their apps judged by leaders in tech, government and academia, including Madhusudan Menon, Head of Influencer Relations and Onshore Sales, North America; Melanie Campell, President and CEO of the National Coalition for Civil Participation; Board Chairman for Atlanta Public Schools Courtney English; AT&T Senior Technical Director Maxine Jarman and others.

 

Volunteers from tech firms and universities will serve as mentors as students create apps to address social justice issues like education inequality, health disparities and more.  At previous LPFI hackathons, participants created an app that calculated the safest streets to walk home from school and an app that allows teachers to receive constructive student feedback about a lesson.

 

The event is organized by the Level Playing Field Institute and sponsored by the Infosys Foundation USA, Morehouse College, the Kapor Center for Social Impact, AT&T, The Knight Foundation and Ford Motor Company with partner support from the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

 

Volunteers from tech firms and universities will serve as mentors as students create apps to address social justice issues like education inequality, health disparities and more.  At previous LPFI hackathons, participants created an app that calculated the safest streets to walk home from school and an app that allows teachers to receive constructive student feedback about a lesson.

 

When & Where:
September 26th & 27th, 2015; 9:00am – 5:00pm ET
Finalist Pitches & Award Ceremony September 27th at 1:00pm ET
Morehouse College, Sale Hall,  830 Westview Dr. SW,  Atlanta, GA 30314
Press RSVP Required at Derek@www.smash.org