As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human.
As someone in the technology/web/social space, I often travel and attend various events in the industry and notice a huge lack of diversity, and when it comes to getting attention from mainstream media/tech blogs it’s almost impossible. That’s why I’m starting 28 Days of Diversity on SocialWayne.com. The goal of 28 Days of Diversity is to feature someone new everyday for the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. The list will include some of leaders in the social web space, startups, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph. So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com to see who’s on the list. For day ten, I would like to introduce to some and present to others: J. Smith
Blog: http://jbrotherlove.com/
Twitter: @jbrotherlove | Website: http://mrjsmith.com
J. is a professional web designer/developer, as well as a blogger and social media advocate. His customer/client-focused career includes work in human resources at University of Illinois, coaching HR professionals at Georgia-Pacific, and directing marketing/public relations for Michael Jordan’s Restaurant and 30 Georgia-area Denny’s.
Currently, J. is a web developer for WebMD, where he develops multi-level/high-volume sponsor programs using front-end web languages and refined skills in interface design and usability. Since 2002, he has created print, web and social media solutions for his own clients, ranging from corporate to arts organizations.
A pioneer blogger since the mid-90’s, his blog, thebrotherlove.com (now retired), was one of the first to offer a black, gay perspective. The blog’s popularity exploded in 2002, when Slate.com linked to a post bemoaning the famous Joe Boxer commercial. Additionally, J. has written for Washington Blade, Southern Voice and the National Black Arts Festival; with select blog posts appearing on Racialicious.com.
When not writing for the web and print, J. has moderated discussions on identity and diversity including a panel on television series The DL Chronicles and speaking at the inaugural Sex 2.0 conference. At SXSW Interactive 2010, he will moderate the panel Black Blogging Rockstars.
Come back tomorrow to see who’s next on the list. Also check out past entires on http://28daysofdiversity.com
