Your Voice is Power

Explore how music, coding
and entrepreneurship can
effect positive change

I’ve seen people not having the resources to benefit one’s self due to racial injustice and what happens when they make the best out of what they have. I also have a bigger understanding of stereotypical things people tend to expect when they see black people. People get so surprised when they see a black person as an entrepreneur, but like anyone else they’re doing what they have to do to make a living. Lately I’ve tried to do what I can to inspire others. I can promote equity by encouraging others to use their talents and passion to make their own sources of income, so they don’t have to answer to anyone. They could create jobs for the overall community. Through the YVIP Competition I learned that I could do something I love while also coding.

During the course of the YVIP unit, I learned a lot about what it means to be an entrepreneur, especially one who is in the minority category. As a minority myself, it was interesting seeing the different perspectives and experiences from these black entrepreneurs and how they were able to flesh out their business and still prosper with the added hardships that an otherwise privileged white person wouldn’t have. Along with that, I’ve also learned a lot about coding too. This class was the first time I’ve coded anything so it was interesting to learn how python works and how many functions can be used to execute a simple or complex task.

This experience has taught me that there are creative and innovative ways to break down racial barriers. Through programs like EarSketch, young artists can create music without having access to a state-of-the-art recording studio. I was able to combine my love of music and newfound knowledge of computer science to share a critical message about racial inequality in today’s society. I hope my song reminds listeners that the time for change is now, and if we don’t actively fight towards racial equity today, we will never reach it tomorrow.(Required)

I came into this competition as part of a school assignment, but it became so much more than that. It is all about supporting black entrepreneurship, thus promoting equity, and I hope that my music can help that cause. Along the way, I learned so much about Python. I kept exploring and testing, and was amazed to discover the unique possibilities that EarSketch offers! It led to many challenges, but all of it was worth it. I will use what I’ve learned from this experience to make even better music and work towards supporting other causes to do more for my community.

My song serves as a reminder to black people, especially young black children, that we are capable of much more than we are given credit for. It is important for us to believe in ourselves and each other, and to appreciate the skin we were blessed with. I thought that it was a really cool idea to mix music with raising awareness on an issue that can never be talked about enough. I learned how to code music and merge different clips together to make one sound/ song. Also, I had to learn about tempo and decide which would be the best for the message of my song.