Photo by Erin Bloodgood
Nadiyah Johnson
Nadiyah Johnson
For the last six years, Nadiyah Johnson has used her expertise in computer science to build her business and grow a tech hub in Milwaukee that accurately represents the makeup of the city—one that includes Black, Latino, Indigenous and other people of color.
Her business Jet Constellations builds custom software, such as applications, while the Milky Way Tech Hub is the social impact arm of the business. Through the Milky Way Tech Hub, Johnson and her team create programming in schools and partner with technology companies to teach people in marginalized communities emerging technologies in computer science.
Because of her own experiences, Johnson knows that building an inclusive space in the technology industry is necessary. Throughout her schooling and career, she was used to being one of the few people of color—and sometimes the only woman—in the room. “I would see other peers trickle off because of the lack of support,” she said. “There were times where I definitely didn't feel like I belonged.”
Determined to Change
Her vision for this work started in 2017 when there was a buzz about turning Milwaukee into a tech hub. She typed the words “black” and “Milwaukee” into Google, but what she found was a narrative of Milwaukee being one of the worst cities for Black people to live in. That was a narrative she was determined to change.
Now, she is driven by a vision to create new headlines that will one day read, “Milwaukee produces the most Black-led AI companies” or “Milwaukee produces the most Black millionaires in the technology space.”
Being the only Black woman in the room often comes with a price. She is constantly asked to speak on panels about race relations and equity—topics she is clearly passionate about—but, as she said, “I am not able to necessarily showcase what I have to offer to the technology industry because of my identity.”
In addition to running her business and the Milky Way Tech Hub, she is also writing her PhD dissertation on natural language processing, a branch of artificial intelligence (AI), and now sits on the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence.
Through her technology work, her goal is to be a futurist—one who can understand what the landscape of technology will look like in the future and work with people to create an ecosystem around that developing technology.
Moreso, she wants to ensure marginalized communities are being brought along in this rapidly changing technological world. By building curriculums and teaching workshops, Johnson is making sure communities of color have the tools and understanding to actively develop new technologies in a way that allows them to benefit from it—rather than simply be consumers.
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“I want to make sure I’m not just going through doors, but leaving the doors open,” she said.
Her goals go far beyond building representation in the tech space. Rather, she wants people of color and people who are too often overlooked to be the ones creating programming and solutions that help advance technology. When they bring in new experiences and are an integral part of developing new technologies, those technologies can truly benefit everyone.
Learn more about Jet Constellations and the Milky Way tech Hub at jetconstellations.com.
