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  • February 15, 2024 10:48 PM | Anonymous

    From the desk of Tennisha Martin, the human:


    All the tears . For the first time in over 4 years I handed the reins to BlackGirlsHack over to someone else. As I've mentioned in my #martinminutes the past few weeks I'll be having surgery next week and will be out out office for at least a month. The best part of this is that I do it knowing that BGH is in great hands with Rebekah Skeete . I've always told people that running *arguably the best* cybersecurity training nonprofit was something I do not do alone. It takes an amazing group of people who volunteer their skills, talents and time to help us to be able to do what we do.


    While many nonprofits have paid staff, my team does this as a labor of love, but I'm 100% positive that they wouldn't mind actually being compensated for their time. I'm working with our Chief Development Officer Ryan Richard who we announced earlier this month, to apply to more grants that cover not just our amazing training but also our operations. My goal this year is to get my team paid so if you know of any grants that help support the operations to keep doing the work we do, we'd love to hear about them.


    As we kick off our fundraising push this month for #BlackHistoryMonth and #WomensHistoryMonth I'm excited to announce that BlackGirlsHack has achieved its GuideStar/ Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency designation for 2024!!! The Platinum Seal of Transparency is the highest level of recognition offered by Guidestar and is just another way that we separate ourselves from the pack in terms of impact and transparency. The Platinum seal of trust means that BGH Foundation shares our strategies, goals, capabilities, impact, and most importantly, our progress! What's more impressive to me is that BGH does this while spending 87% of our revenue in support of our Mission.


    With over 2k members, 100 volunteers, and the trust and support of many of your faves, the work that we do both as a training organization and a cybersecurity conference series that is inclusive and open to all is nothing short amazing. (Presale tickets for SquadCon are up on our website events page nowwww!!!)


    My OOO kicks off Monday morning but look at me, look at me, Bek is the captain now!!! World domination continues and hopefully with your support. Check out our Guidestar profile and consider donating to help us increase representation and empower underrepresented communities in technology and cybersecurity.


    As I focus on my recovery and health for the next month, I know that "my baby" is in excellent hands. Until then,


    Yours in service,


    Mother of Hackers


    https://lnkd.in/eYbBFPSS


    https://lnkd.in/gYbwt3AP


    #blackgirlshack #blackintech #blacksincyber #squad #nonprofit #worlddomination #blkwicc The Black Women in Cyber Collective Girls Hack Village / SquadCon BGH Security Corporation #squadcon Tanisha O'Donoghue Alshlon Banks, MIS Aleise McGowan, Ph.D.Eric Martin Travis Mayfield


  • November 30, 2023 12:53 AM | Anonymous

    What’s up squad, as some of you may or may not know I started a doctorate program at the beginning of this semester so I’m about two courses down towards Doctor Martin. So I’m doing my doctorate in cybersecurity with a focus on cybersecurity education and artificial intelligence because these are a couple of areas where I feel need the most in terms of research to be a net positive impact on the black community in the future.

    So on January 23rd the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, launched an AI Risk Management Framework. So you’ve probably heard about the Risk Management framework 800-53 but this is a specific framework for AI. SO here are the key takeaways.

    The NIST AI RMF is a framework to better manage risks to individuals, organizations, and society associated with Artificial Intelligence. The Framework is intended to help add trustworthiness into the design, development, use and evaluation of AI products, services and systems.

    So you may be saying, well tennisha, another risk management framework, why is this newsworthy. It’s newsworthy because in press release the press release acknowledges something that many frameworks don’t, and that is the negative impacts to individuals, groups, communities, organizations and society.

    Thre framework is divided into two parts, the first which is included to help frame the risks and outline the characteristics of trustworthy AI systems, and the second is your standard risk management framework boiler plate: govern map, measure, and manage.

    So what they’re not saying, is that the bias that exists AI systems can cause discrimination and bias that may be intractable. The National Fair Housing Alliance points this out with respect to housing discrimination. What’s missing from the statements collected from the private and sector, is the explicit mention of how bias within AI impacts women, specifically women of color. A new York times article release in July stated that AI systems used to generate pictures amplified stereotypes about race and gender and perpetuated a bias that people with lighter skin tones hold higher paying jobs with darker skin tones labeled as dishwasher and housekeeper.

    It's giving very much the help. So this framework is notable because they’ve included a whole part of the framework to analyzing and framing the risks associated with biases such as these that often are trained on systems with inherent bias. This is a field to look out for in 2024, especially when the OpenAI reunion pics on twitter last week were super white. My money is on a diversity driven hiring focus within the AI space in the near future. CITATION NIS231 \l 1033  (NIST, 2023)

     BIBLIOGRAPHY NIST. (2023, January 26). NIST Risk Management Framework Aims to Improve Trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from NIST.gov: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2023/01/nist-risk-management-framework-aims-improve-trustworthiness-artificial


  • November 15, 2023 12:27 AM | Anonymous


    Pre-sale Tickets available until December 31, 2023

    SquadCon is a two-day conference that seeks to bring gender diverse perspectives of the contributions, experiences, and issues facing the industry's other. Hackers that are new or from underrepresented communities may not often feel comfortable in existing conferences. SquadCon is a forum for conversations about topics that impact girls, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals, including mental health and all the factors that shape the experiences of marginalized groups in the industry. SquadCon is a cybersecurity conference that will include talks, labs, workshops, discussions, CTFs and panels to move towards our mission of improving diversity in ethical hacking.

    SquadCon is an independent conference event in Las Vegas during Hacker Summer Camp scheduled for August 7-8th with a kick off event August 6th. It is run by the makers of Girls Hack Village (BlackGirlsHack and BGH Foundation) and exists to help foster diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity.

    Pre-Sale tickets are on sale now!

    https://www.blackgirlshack.org/events


  • November 08, 2023 4:29 PM | Anonymous

    We came, we conquered, we showed we #conDifferently

    SquadCon 2023 was a great success. Our Inaugural conference had 306 attendees and volunteers and over 30 diverse speakers. Keynoted by the incomparable Camille Stewart Gloster, Jen Easterly and Marcus J Carey, SquadCon 2023 was a 3 day conference full of amazing moments, cutting edge talks, and amazing people. Check out the recaps on our YouTube page: Here



  • July 27, 2023 7:38 PM | Anonymous

    ThriveDX Partners with BlackGirlsHack to Launch BlackGirlsHack Scholars Program

    (PRNewsfoto/ThriveDX)

    NEWS PROVIDED BY

    ThriveDX 

    25 Jul, 2023, 09:00 ET

    •  Cyber Training and Awareness Company Joins Forces with Virginia-Based Non-Profit to Increase Access to Cybersecurity Training to Help Individuals Enter Workforce

    MIAMI, July 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ThriveDX, the global leader in cybersecurity skills training, is excited to announce the launch of The ThriveDX BlackGirlsHack Scholars Program, which will provide 25 learners from BlackGirlsHack with full tuition and fees for the ThriveDX Cybersecurity Professional Program. This Scholars Program will enable a cohort of 25 individuals, who are associated with BlackGirlsHack, to receive support and benefits needed to successfully complete the program and secure new employment in the growing field of cybersecurity.

    ThriveDX partners with academic institutions, enterprises, and government branches globally to offer advanced cybersecurity training and security awareness training programs. ThriveDX is on a mission to train the next-generation cybersecurity workforce and close the cybersecurity skills gap by providing under-represented and under-resourced communities with access to relevant training to enter the digital skills industry.

    BlackGirlsHack (BGH Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) organization created to help increase diversity in cybersecurity by helping to bridge the gap between what is taught in educational institutions and what is necessary for careers in cybersecurity. The mission of BlackGirlsHack Foundation is to increase representation and empower Black girls and women in the field of information security and cyber security through skills training, mentoring, resume review, and access to low-cost resources in an inclusive environment.

    Together, ThriveDX and BlackGirlsHack will carve new pathways into the cybersecurity and technology field for individuals who historically have limited opportunities and access. Throughout the program, learners will have ThriveDX Career Coaching support in collaboration with OneTen to help place all program graduates in cyber roles, and once finished with the course, learners will receive a certificate of completion from ThriveDX.

    "Equity in access to cyber training is something we work towards on a daily basis, and I couldn't be more excited about our latest partnership that will help us get one step closer to that," stated Desiree Young, Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships & Strategic Innovation, ThriveDX. "Collaboration is key to reaching our common goal of providing under-resourced communities with routes to lucrative cyber careers, so we can't wait to see how this program will change the lives of the members of BlackGirlsHack."

    "Inclusivity in the cyber workforce is needed in the industry for a more innovative, creative and holistic cybersecurity ecosystem in order to help reduce biases and identify blind spots that exist in the threat landscape. A diverse workforce also ensures that a range of skill sets and backgrounds are represented, resulting in more effective problem-solving and innovative solutions," said Dan Vigdor, Founder, Co-CEO and Executive Chairman of ThriveDX. "We are proud to do our part in achieving this by forming strategic partnerships, like this one with BlackGirlsHack, to create access to our Cybersecurity Professional Program that will ultimately help these individuals enter the evolving cyber workforce."

    "We're excited to partner with ThriveDX to help train the next generation of ethical hackers. What the ThriveDX BlackGirlsHack partnership does is provide a structured framework for traditional students and students without 2 and 4 year degrees to be able to transition into the field of cyber. The best part, in my opinion, is that after the learners have completed the training they will have the opportunity for job placement in cyber roles through the partnership with OneTen. We're excited to continue our role as an international nonprofit providing cybersecurity training for cybersecurity's underrepresented communities," said Tennisha Martin, Executive Director, BlackGirlsHack.

    Program enrollment began in early July and the cohort began on July 24. For more information on ThriveDX's partnership with BlackGirlsHack, visit https://thrivedx.com/resources/lp/black-girls-hack-scholars-program.

    About ThriveDX
    ThriveDX is the global leader in cybersecurity education, and an expert in providing cybersecurity training to upskill and reskill lifelong learners. Our teams are made up of military trained cyber experts, industry veterans and seasoned educators united to close the worldwide skills and talent gap in cybersecurity. Operating in two divisions – education and enterprise – ThriveDX's award-winning solutions exist to bridge the skills gap and impact the talent shortage in the cybersecurity and overall tech industry. The Education sector partners with academic institutions, enterprises, and government branches globally to offer advanced, professional development programs in cybersecurity and digital technology. The Enterprise branch (formulated by companies formerly known as Cybint Solutions, Kontra Application Security, Lucy Security, ThriveDX Labs, and HackerU Pro), is a suite of products and services that cater to non-technical employees, developers, IT professionals and anyone in between. For more information, visit https://thrivedx.com/

    About BlackGirlsHack
    BlackGirlsHack Foundation (BGH Foundation 85-3683902) is an international cybersecurity training nonprofit set up to increase representation within the field of cybersecurity. The mission of BlackGirlsHack Foundation is to increase representation and empower Black girls and women in the field of information security and cyber security through skills training, mentoring, resume review, and access to low-cost resources in an inclusive environment.The vision of The BGH Foundation is to promote a diverse and inclusive cyber industry where Black women are represented in all levels of cybersecurity, including technical, leadership, and executive roles.

    Media contact
    Kerry-Ann Hylton
    press@thrivedx.com

    SOURCE ThriveDX


  • May 15, 2023 12:00 AM | Anonymous

    Girls Hack Village presents SquadCon is a three-day conference that seeks to bring gender diverse perspectives of the contributions, experiences, and issues facing the industry's other. Hackers that are new or from underrepresented communities may not often feel comfortable in existing conferences. SquadCon is a forum for conversations about topics that impact girls, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals, including mental health and all the factors that shape the experiences of marginalized groups in the industry. SquadCon is a cybersecurity conference that will include talks, labs, workshops, discussions, CTFs and panels to move towards our mission of improving diversity in ethical hacking.

    SquadCon is an independent conference event in Las Vegas during Hacker Summer Camp scheduled for August 10-12th. It is run by the makers of Girls Hack Village and exists to help foster diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity.

    August 10th, 2023

    9am Registration

    10am-5pm Conference Day 1

    August 11th, 2023

    9am Registration

    9:30am-5pm Conference Day 2

    August 12th, 2023

    9am-5pm Conference Day 3

    8pm-2am Superheroes vs Villains Party

    General Admission Ticket ($150) includes:

    Access to full day events and networking

    Access to sponsors

    Access to Party

    VIP Admission Ticket ($200) includes:

    Access to full day events and networking

    Access to sponsors

    Access to Party

    Custom Badge

    Free Shuttle or Lyft from Strip To/From the Industrial Event Space (Once each day)

    VIP+ Admission Ticket ($250) includes:

    Access to full day events and networking

    Access to sponsors

    Access to Party

    Custom Badge

    Box Lunch all three days

    Free Shuttle or Lyft from Strip To/From The Industrial Event Space (Once each day)

    Virtual Only Ticket (Free) includes:

    Access to live streamed talks

    Virtual+ Ticket ($70) includes:

    Access to live streamed talks

    Custom Badge (Shipped to U.S. addresses)

    Purchase Tickets Here


  • May 12, 2023 2:17 PM | Anonymous

    It is with great disappointment that we must inform you that while we will be at DEF CON this year, it will not be as an official DEF CON Village. We were recently notified leadership collectively decided to not accept our village application for inclusion at DEF CON 31. While we are saddened by this outcome, we understand that they have determined we no longer meet the criteria for village participation.

    As a girls' organization dedicated to promoting cybersecurity education and awareness, we remain steadfast in our belief that diversity is critical to creating a safe and secure cyber world. While some would relegate us to an affinity group, Girls Hack, and as 25% of the cyber industry, we have equal rights for space, opportunity, and representation at cybersecurity conferences. Shirley Chisholm once said if they don’t give you a seat at the table bring a folding chair.

    Our organization will continue to strive towards this goal, and we are proud to announce that the Girl Hack Village mission will live on in a standalone event.

    We understand that hosting such events requires resources, and we are committed to fundraising and garnering support from our community and donors to ensure that women will continue to have a seat at the table even if we have to create our own. We believe that our dedication to cybersecurity education and awareness is worthy of support, and we will continue to seek out opportunities to advance this cause.

    If you agree and would like to see our mission continue, we are currently accepting donations. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=ENDQNWPGWAT5Y

    A special thank you to those that supported every talk, workshop and event we hosted last year. We’ll see you soon.


  • January 10, 2023 9:34 PM | Anonymous


    Today, we are thrilled to announce that BlackGirlsHack has partnered with Google to help make the cybersecurity workforce more diverse and to train the next generation of ethical hackers!

    As a leading technology company, Google understands cybersecurity’s importance, its role in protecting individuals, businesses, and communities from online threats, and diversity’s role in supporting that goal. That’s why they have chosen to sponsor our organization, which is dedicated to addressing diversity in cybersecurity and helping more underrepresented communities upskill and reskill to careers in cybersecurity.

    With Google’s support, we will be able to expand our reach and impact, providing even more people with the tools and knowledge they need to obtain careers in cybersecurity. We will also be able to invest in new initiatives that will help to make the career training for career changers and new entrants into the industry.

    We believe that through this partnership with Google, we can make a real difference in diversity statistics in cybersecurity and we are honored to have the support of such a respected and innovative company.

    As part of the sponsorship, Google will provide BlackGirlsHack with resources such as funding, expertise and access to their tools and technology. This will help us to enhance our current programs and develop new initiatives, with the goal of educating underserved populations in upskilling and reskilling in cybersecurity careers.

    We look forward to working with Google and are grateful for their commitment to our organization. Together, we can help to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

    About BlackGirlsHack:

    BlackGirlsHack was created to share knowledge and resources to help black girls and women breakthrough barriers to careers in information security and cyber security. The vision for Black Girls Hack (BGH) is to provide resources, training, mentoring, and access to black girls and women and increase representation and diversity in the cyber security field and in the executive suites.

    About Google:

    Google is a multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products such as search engines, online advertising technologies, cloud computing, software, and hardware. The company was founded in 1998 and has since grown to become one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands. Google is well known for its commitment to making the internet a safer and more secure place for everyone, and is continually investing in new technologies and initiatives to achieve this goal.

    With the Sponsorship, we look forward to working closely with Google to create a more secure digital world. We encourage you to stay connected with us to be informed about the new initiatives and programs that will be launched.

  • December 21, 2022 9:39 PM | Anonymous

    BlackGirlsHack (BGH) Foundation is excited to announce our partnership with The Diana Initiative (TDI) a diversity-driven conference committed to helping all underrepresented people in Information Security. The Diana Initiative is a conference that features multiple speaker tracks, villages with hands-on workshops, and a capture the flag event. BlackGirlsHack Foundation will be partnering with the Diana Initiative to provide scholarships to Def Con and the Diana Initiative conference in Las Vegas in August 2023. These scholarships will provide underrepresented people in information security with travel, hotel accommodations, and tickets to TDI and Def Con.

    Last year, BGH provided 23 scholarships to help bring recipients to Las Vegas for hacker summer camp, a collection of cybersecurity conferences which include BlackHat USA, The Diana Initiative, BSides LV, and Def Con. Recipients were able to network, expand their knowledge, learn, and see cutting edge research, advances in technology and learn about the cybersecurity field.

    This year, through its partnership with TDI, BGH hopes to bring another 20 people to Las Vegas to help increase diversity in cybersecurity and help them to see themselves in the industry. Donations for Hacker Summer Camp can be made by donating at dianainitiative.org/donate (Leave a comment that the donation is for Hacker Summer Camp) or at blackgirlshack.org/donate and select Def Con Travel Expense Donation.

  • December 11, 2022 9:40 PM | Anonymous

    BlackGirlsHack (BGH) Foundation is excited to announce our partnership with Masterfully, a cybersecurity onboarding and training firm offering the Advisor Plus platform. BlackGirlsHack is continuing to build strategic partnerships with leading edge training companies to build out its training program to provide upskilling and reskilling to diverse groups trying to transition or pivot into Cybersecurity.

    With this partnership, Masterfully will provide BGH with free access to their OWASP Web Security Testing Guide training which is a self-paced curriculum aimed at training users with basic computer science knowledge in the areas of web application penetration testing and web security testing. This partnership is especially exciting because BlackGirlsHack founder Tennisha Martin through her BGH Security Corporation and BlackGirlsHack experts worked closely with the test management team at Masterfully to develop the curriculum.

    The training will be available to all BGH members by January 2023 (if not sooner).

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