The social media giant, which found itself in hot water after it was revealed that its employees were crossing out “Black Lives Matter” (and replacing the term with “All Lives Matter”) on the headquarters’ signature wall, has been a hot button issue as of late.

Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stepped forward to order his employees not to make such changes to the signature wall, citing the following statement which was included in a company announcement letter:

“I was already very disappointed by this disrespectful behavior before, but after my communication, I now consider this malicious as well”

For more on Zuckerberg’s written statement regarding his employees’ anti-Black gestures, please view the following photo.

As expected, the controversy surrounding this issue prompted many to take yet another look at the minuscule amount of Black employees who work for Facebook. This is perhaps one more case of the systematic exclusion of Black tech professionals from Silicon Valley. As seen in this story’s featured image, Facebook has changed its sign to be decorated with a traditional African tribal-themed print.

To get a glimpse of how the regular Facebook greeting sign looks, view the image below.

In spite of Zuckerberg’s attempt–albeit a contrived one–to smooth over his company’s image (as it pertains to Black people), many are not convinced. In recent months, it has been shown that many Melanoid people with a large Facebook following have witnessed their accounts be suspended when using their accounts to address specific Black issues, which is a stark contrast to the countless white supremacists who have used their Facebook pages to spread and cosign anti-Black–and often violent–rhetoric, which often goes unpunished.

In order for Black Society’s social media experience to remain fair and enjoyable, a solution has presented itself, which will prove to ensure just that…a fair and enjoyable social media experience; free of harassment and trolling by white supremacists.

For more on this solution, please follow this link.

B. Clark

Tristan Walker is the visionary behind the creation of Bevel, a collection of shaving and grooming products with Melanoid men in mind. Because so many Melanated men suffer from Pseudofolliculitis Barbae, aka “razor bumps”, our skin requires special care that will maintain healthy skin after shaving. Mr. Walker has filled a large void by creating these products.

As a long-time entrepreneur in the Bay Area’s Silicon Valley, Walker got his start in the area by working as an intern for social media giant Twitter. In an interview with the San Francisco Business Times, he explains,  “I want Walker & Co. (Walker’s company which created Bevel) to be the last thing I do. I want it to outlast me. I want to create a brand that lives on and that people really trust.”

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Walker’s accomplishment with his mission is that he has been able to do so from Silicon Valley, an industrial sector of the U.S. that has traditionally lacked a substantial Melanoid presence. His accomplishments don’t stop at Bevel alone. Walker has launched a non-profit by the name of Code 2040, which seeks to steer more Melanated young professionals into the tech industry.

By creating Bevel, Mr. Walker has given Melanated men a healthy alternative to the traditional selection of shaving products that often fall short on their advertised objectives of clean shaves with no skin damage. This in itself, is “cool”.

To purchase Bevel products, go to getbevel.com .

B. Clark

In a May 28, 2014 story featured on pbs.org, Google released its demographic data revealing that out of its employee base that is roughly 50,000 in number, only two percent of these employees are Black, and this includes both Black male and female employees who work for the Mountain View, CA based tech giant. A story written on the New York Times’ site in June 2014 suggested that more of the same hiring activity was occurring at another company in Silicon Valley. Google’s web browsing contemporary, Yahoo, also displayed the same two percent Black employee rate as well. However, the one area that this Sunnyvale, CA based company isn’t in competition with Google, is its eagerness to release the diversity numbers of the employees who work for Yahoo, in which case, both companies begrudgingly released this data.

Apparently, the “Apple” doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to this very same issue. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc. has admitted that he is “not satisfied” with the disparaging employee diversity numbers that reflect on his company. Whether or not his concern involves wanting more of a Black presence at the company is uncertain, but certain affluent Blacks have taken notice. They want to use their financial and sociopolitical platform to connect more Black American and Hispanic (many of whom do in fact possess significant traces of African ancestry, but chose to deny their African lineage to gain social and political favor here with the dominant society here in the U.S.) Americans to companies such as Apple and Google to expose them to more employment opportunities.

Ordeals such as the one occurring in Silicon Valley could be proof that Blacks have no choice but to create, own, and control their own economic bases, which also includes carving out their own niches in the tech industry. These Black benefactors may very well be full of good intent, but should they have those good intentions re-directed to focusing more on Black-owned entities that could one day rival the Googles, Apples, and Oracles that currently reside in Silicon Valley? As the saying goes, “Build it, and they will come”. Proper planning and building by Black know-how and tech-savvy talent could make what may now seem like an impossibility an everyday reality, regardless of whether Black professionals in the tech industry garner the support and support of wealthy Blacks or not.

by B. Clark