Named Innovators/Developers of Color?

i_c_andrade asks: "Apple and other tech companies were in the past called to task for the lack of Hispanics and African-American's on their Board of Directors, so after doing some research I came to the conclusion that I just did not know a lot of named IT/OSS/Web/CS innovators/developers that were not white (or American) specifically Hispanic or African-American. The first (and only) name that I could think of was Miguel de Icaza, and well I can only blame my own ignorance for not knowing any more, or are there? I know there is a big BSD movement in Brazil (they created the The FreeBSD LiveCD Project; but where else are there developers 'of color' and what are they working on?"

Comments

Marcelo Tosatti

[Prien715]

Marcelo Tosatti, who's the maintainer the 2.4, has lived in Brazil his whole life.

Interview and pic can be found here.

Plus Three

[Urban Legend]

http://www.plusthree.com/ - president is Hispanic, another one of the five partners (and a lead developer) is Alaskan Native. Plus Three has been around for over 3 years now, making us one of the old timers for Open Source.

Why I posted this question

[i_c_andrade]

Basically because I get tired of seeing in Hispanic Business or other minority based trade magazines a total lack of innovators, they focus on COO's or some VP of finance. I tried to think of oh I dont know good role models for non-white kids to have when it comes to the tech world. My CS department and college graduate the 2nd highest number of hispanics in the US, and its just hard to think of people (due to well just know knowing of any) that I can point out to people and say "see they are a great [developer/innovator/developer] that you can use for a role model". Females have Admiral Hopper and Lady Babbige; who can minorities look to?

Re:Why I posted this question

[i_c_andrade]

because sometimes kids need something they can relate to, look at the documentary "Viva Baseball"; dark skinned spanish speaking Latin Americans talking about their role models; people that they can relate to because they are "just like me". Those magazines exsist to support a market that does not get the time of day at a usuall tech magazine. Check your head, cause I get the feeling you are out of touch.

Re:Why I posted this question

[theGreater]

Hector de J. Ruiz, Ph.D.

-theGreater.

Re:Why I posted this question

[pclminion]

First, why are you singling out kids based on their race? Second, why are you telling these kids that race is important, and they can only look to people of the same race/color as "good role models". That is racism. Racism is not acceptable, period.

Whether you like it or not, race is an important issue in the world (I think a few people have died because of it). Sweeping the issue under the rug, refusing to discuss issues of race, and hurling the term "racist" at anyone who attempts to bring up the subject is counterproductive. You can't just sit back, stick your fingers in your ears, and holler "Blah blah, I can't hear you! Everyone is equal!"

Everybody is not fucking equal. And that sucks. And it needs to change. And it's never going to change as long as brainwashed simpletons like yourself go around berating everybody who attempts to bring up the topic. Why would a non-white person want a role model of their own race? Who knows, maybe it has something to do with the historic domination of the white race over the non-white ones throughout history.

We are not going to flip a switch and suddenly snap between a world full of racism, and one where everyone is blind to race. This transition into an enlightened world is going to take centuries, and it might not ever be complete. Accept the fact that along the way toward that lofty goal, there are going to be things like "Hispanic Business" which attempt to create communities among minority races in an effort to help elevate them into the world where whites have already had so much success.

Re:I haven't seen

[Anonymous Coward]

I go to the University of Rhode Island and I guess things a different here because while there aren't a great amount of students of color in my classes, there are enough as to where I didn't even realize it was an issue until reading this. No girls mind you, but plenty students of color.

Re:The Mother of All Karma-Burning Posts

[jericho4.0]

I'll risk some karma also.

Thirty years of research on race differences in cognitive ability.(pdf)