BLACK INTERNET EFFECT

A slim, smart manifesto that uplifts young people of color hoping to carve out space in homogeneous professional industries.

For Charles, a technology executive known for her creative achievements and activism, the road to Silicon Valley began when, as an ambitious Black high school student in San Diego, she intended to pursue a safe career that would bring the financial security her small-business–owner parents prioritized. A TV program about Google showed someplace marvelous beyond her imagination—but seemingly included no Black people. After interning on Capitol Hill as a college sophomore, she earned a highly selective Google internship. There, Charles realized that she had to be her own advocate; she also learned that building bonds with Black mentors was critical. After college graduation, Charles worked at Twitter and Instagram before she landed her current position as the first head of Diversity & Inclusion Communications at TikTok. Charles’ eye-opening journey critically examines glaring inequities in the tech industry, showing how marginalized people—especially Black women—can stay true to their convictions, mobilize their communities, and use the internet as a collective force for global action. Charles cites the tech industry’s shortcomings and catalogs various struggles that come from lack of representation, but her experiences are ultimately portrayed as beneficial growing pains. Despite the bleak injustices of the present, Charles envisions a hopeful future that offers accessibility and accountability.

This frank, spirited guide spotlights a thoughtful leader who embraces social responsibility.