BLACK ENTERPRISE and American Airlines Bring Together HBCU Students for 6th Annual BE Smart Hackathon

BLACK ENTERPRISE’s 6th Annual BE Smart Hackathon, hosted by American Airlines, will be produced as a completely live-streamed, virtual experience from October 9-10, 2020. This year’s hack, “Tech Super Heroes UNITE!,” brings together teams of more than 200 students, from nearly 30 Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCUs), to compete for prizes from American Airlines and other leading technology partners supporting the event.

The BE Smart Hackathon provides HBCU students with valuable opportunities to network and build relationships, gain mentorship, engage in career preparation, and add meaningful experience to their resumes in anticipation of pursuing employment in a tech industry eager to recruit more diverse talent. Students will also benefit from virtual workshops on the latest technologies—including artificial intelligence, data analytics, and natural language processing—from key employees at Microsoft, IBM, HP, and many other tech companies.

NCA&T Hackathon Winners (Image: File)

“For decades, technology companies have lamented their ineffectiveness at finding and recruiting African American talent,” says Black Enterprise President and CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. “HBCUs have been the source of top-notch talent in practically every industry. Our annual BE Smart Hackathon, in partnership with American Airlines, not only identifies and showcases promising Black talent, but provides platforms for those companies to recruit them for internships and jobs.”

Each year BE Smart Hackathon participants are recruited for internships and full-time job opportunities at American Airlines and its technology partners. American Airlines will have its technical staff mentor each team during the 24-hour hackathon. The mentors will help remove any roadblocks and offer advice to the teams on preparing (and giving) their presentation to the judges.

BLACK ENTERPRISE, your ultimate source to build Wealth for Life, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, BE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. A multimedia company, BE also produces video programming, business, and lifestyle events, Web content, and digital media. Visit www.blackenterprise.com for more information.

CONTACT: Kecia Voorhees, voorheesk@blackenterprise.com