Bronx Assemblyman Says Technology Is The Future of Work

Last Thursday afternoon, hundreds of Bronxites, young and old, social entrepreneurs and business leaders gathered at the historic Old Bronx Courthouse on Third Avenue and 161st Street for Assemblyman Michael Blake’s “New Faces of Technology” event.  

 

Credit: @MSNBCPR

“Growing Hope Live From The Bronx” Credit: @MSNBCPR

 

The event was in collaboration with MSNBC’s GROWING HOPE LIVE FROM THE BRONX on Thursday, September 10 at 2 p.m. ET. Thomas Roberts, host of “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts,” will host the one-hour special with MSNBC’s Frances Rivera reporting live from the historic Old Bronx County Courthouse.

 

The Growing Hope campaign is part of an initiative launched by MSNBC in 2014 that seeks to draw attention to issues which affect local communities. 

Frances Rivera speaks with DJ D-Nice and Assemblyman Michael Blake (D-Bronx) for the "Growing Hope Live from the Bronx"

Frances Rivera speaks with DJ D-Nice and Assemblyman Michael Blake (D-Bronx) for the “Growing Hope Live from the Bronx”

Broadcasting live from the historic Old Bronx County Courthouse, MSNBC reporter Frances Rivera examined youth job preparedness and the rapidly evolving field of technology in addition to a number of community-wide initiatives which seek to meet the demands of the burgeoning industry.

 

During the one-hour show, Ms. Rivera interviewed DJ D-Nice and Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake, who in partnership with #YesWeCode, co-hosted “The New Faces of Tech” panel discussion Thursday afternoon. #YesWeCode was founded by Van Jones as a means of guiding youth from introductory coding programs, to immersive job-training programs, and eventually into employment.

 

Rivera also interviewed New York City’s chief technology officer, Minerva Tantoco. Rivera and Tantoco discussed jobs of the future and changes in technology.

 

Michael Nobleza, #YesWeCode National Director, called the Bronx event “transformational” and the most successful of the three Growing Hope tech events. “One of the most diverse counties in the U.S., The Bronx represents the changing face of the country and where tech is going.”

 

“The Bronx is leading the way in technology, diversity, and inclusion,” said Nobleza.  He noted that the Bronx already has a number of tech start-ups and training programs putting opportunity within reach of of its young people. Nobleza said that technology companies can add hundreds of millions of dollars to a local economy.

 

“We’re launching an innovation center at the heart of our district because we are committed to transforming the South Bronx into a global urban metropolis and getting Bronxites jobs and economic opportunities,” said Assemblyman Blake.

 

 

Kylerr Bucano’s hope for technology is that we don’t lose our sense of human interaction as we develop more apps moving forward. Credit: MSNBC on Tumblr

Credit: MSNBC on Tumblr

The New Faces of Tech segment featured educators, tech innovators and social entrepreneurs. One such organization, TechFIN awarded laptops to twenty-three young scholars from the 79th Assembly District and 100 desktop computers were donated to local senior centers.

 

Kylerr Bucano’s hope for technology is that we don’t lose our sense of human interaction as we develop more apps moving forward (pictured right).

 

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda and Public Advocate Leticia James stopped by the event and delivered greetings.

 

The Universal Hip Hop Museum, Bronxnet Television, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, Uber, NYC Office of Technology, Alex Abelin, Founder – Liquid Talent,  Miguel Sanchez — Mass Ideation, Jerelyn Rodriguez — The Knowledge House, StartupBox, Salesforce, Citi, Bloomberg, Verizon, Duro UAS, SCENYC, Accrue, Dev Bootcamp, General Assembly, DreamYards

 

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