Tech in solidarity and stewardship
Hello hello, Baltimore. Thanks to all of you who submitted Technical.ly Awards nominations by the time our form closed yesterday, and keep an eye out after the holiday for when you'll be able to vote.
Speaking of the holiday: Thanksgiving is, of course, a time to hang out and feast with loved ones before the rush of the winter holidays (which, for me at least, will probably involve buying some tech in the coming weeks). Accordingly, this will be the last newsletter I send until Monday.
But for many people, this holiday isn't a particularly positive one. It's instead just more evidence of how little we actually think about Indigenous communities, whether the various tribes that are
recognized at varying jurisdictional levels in Maryland or the Lumbee and Cherokee peoples who made Baltimore home during the mid-20th century, as urbanization policies and factory work opportunities at Bethlehem Steel's facilities compelled their migration from the South.
Today, it's easy to forget about Indigenous peoples' impact on our lands and economies, but they're still here. And as tech innovation turns the whole world into a more digitally connected place, Indigenous peoples are still disproportionately removed from the industry's spoils.
So I ask you: Do you know of Indigenous people, particularly in the Baltimore area, who are creating great tech? Or any startups trying to ameliorate the digital disconnect among Indigenous communities?