Kamau Bobb
Kamau Bobb is an American engineer and a STEM scholar. He once headed Google’s diversity strategy and research before leading the company's STEM initiative. He is also an authority in STEM policy analysis and a prominent activist advocating equity in STEM education.[1]
Biography
He went to Midwood High School in Brooklyn before completing his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He obtained his Ph.D. in Science and Technology Policy from Georgia Tech.[2]
Bobb is active in promoting equity for people of color. He has spoken about his experiences at conferences and summits in efforts to influence policymaking affecting racial justice.[3][4]
STEM
Bobb co-founded with Charles Isbell the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech.[5] This initiative was developed to address the structural challenges students face in computer science education.
Bobb was also a co-founder of the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing and is serving as its senior director.[citation needed] He is also a program officer of the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering.[1] He is a faculty member at Georgia Tech.[4]
Controversy
In 2021, Bobb was involved in a controversy after his blog post containing alleged antisemitic content surfaced. A newspaper report uncovered the post made in 2017, where he characterized Jews as having an “insatiable appetite for war”. The same report noted his criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.[6] In response, Google removed him from his post as head of diversity strategy and research.[7] He was reassigned to a position within Google's STEM research department. His recent biographical profiles stated that he became the director of Google's STEM Education Strategy.[8] Bobb apologized, claiming that he crudely characterized the entire Jewish community. He explained that his post was intended as a critique for a particular military action that supported antisemitic prejudice.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Yolanda, Rankin; Jakita, Thomas (2016). Moving Students of Color from Consumers to Producers of Technology. IGI Global. ISBN 978-1-5225-2006-1. P. 292
- ↑ Feur, Will and Steinbuch, Yaron (2021). Website "Google reassigns diversity chief after inflammatory blog post". New York Post. https://nypost.com/2021/06/03/google-reassigns-diversity-chief-after-inflammatory-blog-post/
- ↑ "Got pulled over by the police today..." The Black Wall Street Times. https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2019/01/18/got-pulled-over-by-the-police-today/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bobb, Kamau (2023-07-24). "Justice first, then diversity". SaportaReport. https://saportareport.com/justice-first-then-diversity/columnists/guestcolumn/derek/.
- ↑ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and; Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and; Sciences, Division on Engineering and Physical; Education, Board on Science; Board, Computer Science and Telecommunications; Statistics, Committee on Applied and Theoretical; Analytics, Board on Mathematical Sciences and Medicine (2020). Roundtable on Data Science Postsecondary Education: A Compilation of Meeting Highlights. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-67773-8.p.108.
- ↑ Goodman, Alana (2021-06-01). "Google Diversity Head Said Jews Have 'Insatiable Appetite for War'". https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/google-diversity-head-said-jews-have-insatiable-appetite-for-war/
- ↑ Todd, Sarah (2022). "Was Google right not to fire Kamau Bobb over his antisemitic blog post?". Quartz. https://qz.com/work/2017099/was-google-right-not-to-fire-kamau-bobb-over-his-antisemitic-blog-post
- ↑ "Kamau Bobb". Spellman College. https://www.spelman.edu/staff/profiles/kamau-bobb.html#:~:text=Biography,of%20Trustees%3A%20Elected%20in%202023
- ↑ Rosen, Christine (2021-06-17). "How the Media Ignore Jew-Haters". Commentary Magazine. https://www.commentary.org/articles/christine-rosen/media-ignore-jew-haters/
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