Sound Off is a terrific organization dedicated to increasing access to professional settings to marginalized people in tech. It’s a worthy cause addressing an under appreciated difficulty for too many people.

This round Sound Off is raising funds to send two fellows or alumni of CODE2040 to the Layers conference. Here’s what they have to say about Layers and CODE2040:

Layers is a design conference in San Francisco taking place from June 13th – June 15th. Folks who know our history, know that Sound Off started as an informal fundraiser to send two women on scholarship to Layers 2015. We’re proud to continue to support a conference that features some of the best and brightest voices in our industry, including an outstanding number of women and people of color on stage and in the audience. Like all the conferences we support, Layers has a strong Code of Conduct.

CODE2040 is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities with a specific focus on Blacks and Latinxs. Every summer, CODE2040’s flagship Fellows Program supports minority students interning in Silicon Valley by providing them with a sense of community, through mentorship, a speaker series, and workshops. CODE2040’s mission aligns with our own, and we’re excited to provide opportunities to their fellows and alumni.

 

Layers is terrific. I attended last year, I’m friends with the organizers, and I cannot recommend a conference higher. Sending a couple of people from the CODE2040 project seems like a terrific idea to me. If you can please consider a contributing. You’ll make the world a better place.