TULSA,
Okla. and WASHINGTON, June 21,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On June
20, The White House Office of the National Cyber Director,
led by White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr., visited Historic Greenwood as
part of their National Cyber Workforce and Development initiative
tour.
Hosted by Black Tech Street, a local organization dedicated to
rebirthing historic Black Wall Street as an innovation economy
rooted in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, National Cyber
Director Coker Jr. visited The University of
Tulsa where he spoke with UTulsa leadership, staff and
students about their experiences.
He then traveled to Oklahoma State
University-Tulsa, where he spoke at a public event alongside
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, Tulsa Innovation Labs Director of
Grants and Policy Justin Kitts, and
Founder and Executive Director of Black Tech Street Tyrance Billingsley II, followed by a roundtable
of Tulsa leaders and officials.
White House National Cyber Director Harry
Coker Jr had this to say:
"I am aware that today I stand on sacred ground, addressing you
within the historic Greenwood District here in Tulsa. Today, I'll have the opportunity to
visit the site of Black Wall Street, a space where African
Americans – for many generations following the Civil War –
thrived," said Director Coker. "More than 100 years after their
work began to create not only a self-sustaining business district,
but economic opportunity and generational wealth, we stand here on
their shoulders. And we are here again, looking to innovation. And
to hope. Their fearless example is what we remember and what we
allow to inspire us today."
Tyrance Billingsley II, Founder
and Executive Director of host organization Black Tech Street had
this to say regarding the visit:
"It was a tremendous honor for Black Tech Street to host
Director Coker Jr. and ONCD in Historic Greenwood. The crux of our
work here is pioneering a new narrative and mechanism for how to
over-index Black and minority talent into critical technology areas
like cyber and AI, not only for economic stability but to secure
technological leadership of the United
States for the next half a century.
Greenwood stands as a special example not only in Black history,
but in American history of what is possible when typically
marginalized populations are intentionally mobilized. 21st century
Black Wall Street has an opportunity to lead the way again on
pioneering a new strategy for mass mobilizing marginalized
communities into industries of the future."
A critical part of this vision is The University of Tulsa, one of the top cyber
institutions in the country. Chad
Raduege, executive director of UTulsa's Oklahoma Cyber
Innovation Institute and retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general,
shared his thoughts: "As the institute and its community partners
strive to meet the global demand for cyber talent and technology,
we are excited to welcome Director Coker to Tulsa and the university. Our goal is to
develop a highly educated workforce trained in cutting-edge
technology and ready to tackle real-world cyber challenges."
UTulsa President Brad R. Carson
echoed Raduege's sentiment: "The University of
Tulsa has been a nationally recognized leader in cyber
education and research for 25 years. We attract top-tier professors
and support critical research projects in collaboration with
federal agencies, Fortune 500 corporations, global nonprofits and
private entrepreneurs. And we are eager to share more about these
relationships and opportunities with the White House."
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum also shared the importance
cybersecurity and advanced technologies have within the city of
Tulsa showcasing the unique role
Tulsa has in this industry.
"Over the past seven years as mayor, I have placed a primary
focus on how we govern and manage information technology at the
City of Tulsa and the sheer
dedication it takes in building cybersecurity capacity,"
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said. "The groundwork to advance
cyber security is in place through our higher-education
institutions and organizations like Black Tech Street, and the
City of Tulsa stands committed in
supporting and investing resources to stand as a leader in this
space."
With new advancements in Artificial Intelligence, Quantum
Computing and Autonomous Systems all being heavily intertwined with
Cybersecurity, Black Tech Street and broader Tulsa hope that Director Cokers visit
alongside the work they are currently hoping will be enhanced by
their recent denotation as a Tech Hub by the Economic Development
Administration will serve as a nationwide example and call to
action for America to embrace these new technologies hand future
generations a secure and prosperous future.
About Black Tech Street
Black Tech Street is an organization dedicated to rebirthing
Historic Black Wall Street as a world class innovation economy
rooted in cybersecurity, business intelligence and responsible
artificial intelligence. Its goal is to make 21st century Greenwood
the blueprint for catalyzing holistic emerging technology
transformations in Black and marginalized communities across the
country and ensure that America wins the "Emerging Technologies
Race".
Contact
Tyrance Billingsley
II
Founder and Executive Director
Black Tech Street
918-899-8290
Tyrance@blacktechstreet.com
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SOURCE Black Tech Street