SJSU’s Black Engineer Week Seeks to Inspire Community, Silicon Valley

Black Engineer Week invites Black engineers, scientists and technical professionals at all levels to build and strengthen their community ties with students in an effort to increase the number of successful Black engineering professionals in Silicon Valley.

Black Engineer Week, now in its second year, has a simple goal: to increase the number of successful Black engineering professionals in Silicon Valley. 

The event, founded by Folarin Erogbogbo, associate professor of biomedical engineering at SJSU’s Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering, kicks off June 16 with a welcoming event. Supported by SJSU’s College of Engineering, the Division of Student Affairs and the Career Center, the event invites Black engineers, scientists and technical professionals at all levels to build and strengthen their community ties with students (K-12, undergraduate and graduate); university and college faculty and leaders; postdoctoral and career-transitioning researchers; small businesses and industry professionals; K-12 educators and practitioners; and researchers from national labs.

Erogbogbo said founding Black Engineer Week, which runs from June 16-23, was “driven by a multitude of inspirational factors.”

Professor Folarin Erogbogbo was inspired to found Black Engineer Week to provide students an opportunity to engage with companies like LinkedIn.

“I frequently heard Black engineering and science professionals say, ‘I am the only one in my class, on my team, in my company, etc,’” said Erogbogbo. “I thought it would be nice to have people say there are at least 5 of us. Towards this end, I thought it would be nice to have Black Engineer Week serve as a community building initiative that can be leveraged as a recruitment and retention effort for universities like SJSU and Silicon Valley companies that aim to improve their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) metrics. The Dean of Engineering, Sheryl Ehrman, subsequently bought into the vision and this propelled things forward dramatically.” 

In collaboration with the Career Center, the rest of the week will include other events including networking lunches, hiking and golf socials, and industry lunches and presentations that will take place at companies across Silicon Valley. The week is meant to foster innovation, not just in technology, but also by elevating diverse voices and empowering creative solutions for a better future.

One evening event, June 18’s BEST at the Tech Event, held at the Tech Interactive Museum, features presentations from high level executives, Ph.D and postdoctoral scholars, and  allows attendees to socialize with other Black engineers, scientists, and techies, while also immersing themselves in the exhibits.

During Black Engineer Week, Juneteenth will be celebrated on Monday, June 19. Erogbogbo said it was important for the holiday, which marks the official day that enslaved Africans and Black Americans were finally free from the oppression of slavery, to be included in the week-long event.

“By aligning with Juneteenth, Black Engineer Week reinforces the significance of racial equality, highlights the accomplishments of Black engineers, and contributes to the broader movement for diversity, inclusion, and empowerment,” said Erogbogbo. 

“Black Engineer Week was designed to align with Juneteenth for three reasons: To recognize the importance of historical milestones and connect it to the progress made by Black engineers in overcoming systemic barriers in their pursuit of careers in engineering; to educate engineering and scientific organizations in Silicon Valley about Juneteenth and simultaneously encourage them to do something about underrepresentation in their companies; and to allow visitors from out of town to experience how Silicon Valley and the Bay Area celebrate Juneteenth and to be attracted to visit, live, work and get educated here.”  

See the full list of Black Engineer Week events.

Cassie Myers contributed to this story.