The challenge of diversity, equity, and inclusion in emerging tech sectors in cities across the country is multifaceted. This is especially the case when comes to creating avenues to make employment and entrepreneurship opportunities accessible and attainable for underrepresented populations.
There is a need for new “tech dreams” to inspire people to be motivated to take advantage of some of the structures of opportunity that are being constructed by higher education institutions, corporations, school systems, and other entities. Structures without the requisite level of student motivation can lead to hollow victories and superficial progress when it comes to expanding economic inclusion and opportunity.
The early 1990s movie Hoop Dreams depicted the stories of two young men from Chicago, Arthur Agee and William Gates, and their pursuit of making it to the upper echelons of basketball achievement. Their story is a microcosm of the kind of sports dreams that millions of young people have and aspire to fulfill. 
Dr. Marcus Bright
Both young men had a figure that embodied the role that they wanted to fulfill in Isiah Thomas. Thomas was the embodiment of their respective Hoop dreams. They both played the guard position like Thomas and began their high school careers making the three-hour roundtrip commute from the west side of Chicago to the private St. Joseph’s High School in Westchester, Illinois. Examples like Thomas in basketball, who was an NBA All Star and World Champion with the Detroit Pistons, can be identified, introduced, and promoted in other fields like technology as well.
Thomas was visible proof that their dream could be actualized by someone who came from the same neighborhood and circumstances that they came from. Some of the elements that are used to produce sports dreams can be utilized to generate “tech dreams”. There are tech professionals who are operating at a high level in their field who can be symbols for individuals who aspire to have careers in technology. Students can be inspired to generate their own tech dreams like Agee and Gates had hoop dreams. For that to happen, opportunities need to be made plain and repeatedly presented to populations that have historically received limited access and exposure to tech sector career pathways.
It is hard to aspire to be a part of something that you are unfamiliar with. It is hard to begin with the end in mind when you don’t know what the end looks like. The details and day-to-day reality of what tech professionals do is vague for many. It needs to be made plain so individuals can have a clear vision of what they are aiming for. People need to be made aware of opportunities and provided the tools and guidance to seize them.
Too often entities and institutions just do bare minimum to publicize opportunities in tech careers to the broader population. There is not enough publicity around what is needed to fulfill these types of positions and how one can go about obtaining a role after they have qualified themselves. A key question and challenge is how to ensure that a larger segment of diverse communities is taking advantage of opportunities in the tech sector.
