Episode 134: Interview with Jay Miller

Teaching Python

In this episode, we have a candid conversation with Jay Miller, the founder of Black Python Devs. Jay shares his journey into the tech world, highlighting the inspiration behind starting Black Python Devs and the essential role it plays in extending the reach of the Python community into the black ecosystem. We discuss how his organization fosters safe, equitable, and accessible environments for Black developers, breaking down barriers and creating pathways for new talent to enter and thrive in the industry.

Our discussion touches on the critical need for diversity and inclusion within tech communities and companies. Jay elaborates on practical strategies to make tech events and workplaces more welcoming for historically excluded groups. From the importance of having a strong code of conduct to providing logistical support like childcare and travel reimbursements, Jay emphasizes how small actions can make a significant impact in creating a culture where everyone feels they belong.

We also dive into the often overlooked challenges that Black tech professionals face, such as negotiating salaries and finding mentors who look like them. Jay offers invaluable insights on why visibility and representation matter, sharing personal anecdotes and practical advice for both aspiring developers and established leaders. Whether you're an educator, a tech professional, or someone interested in creating more inclusive communities, this episode is packed with thought-provoking discussions and actionable takeaways.

Special Guest: Jay Miller.

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Links:

• Black Python Devs | About Us — Black Python Devs was created by its founder Jay Miller after seeing a trend of the same handful of Black developers speaking at major conferences, taking leadership positions, and dealing with the same challenges towards burnout.
• Aiven - Your Trusted Data & AI Platform — Aiven is a versatile platform empowering you with AI-driven workload optimization and control over your data. Deploy widely adopted technologies across multiple clouds with just a few clicks to stream, store, and serve your data.
• FastAPI — FastAPI is a modern, fast (high-performance), web framework for building APIs with Python based on standard Python type hints.
• Talk: Nina Zakharenko - Goodbye Print, Hello Debugger! - YouTube — Still debugging your code with print? Learn how to level up your ability to troubleshoot complex code situations by using the power of a fully-featured debugger in this talk aimed at all levels of programming ability. Debuggers allow you to examine your program state, watch as the values of important variables change, and even modify the content of variables on the fly. Once I gave up using print to debug, my productivity as a programmer increased, and yours can too!
• Django Girls - start your journey with programming — Django Girls is a non-profit organization and a community that empowers and helps women to organize free, one-day programming workshops by providing tools, resources and support. We are a volunteer run organization with hundreds of people contributing to bring more amazing women into the world of technology. We are making technology more approachable by creating resources designed with empathy.
• PyCon US 2024 - PyCon US 2024 — After two years of PyCon US in Salt Lake City, we are so excited to welcome our community to our new host city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! Mark your calendars and be sure to read the About PyCon US page for all the details. We can’t wait to see you all at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center!