MLK Gandhi Initiative Brings Tech Careers Within Reach

By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium

The Americans 4 Equality, MLK Gandhi Empowerment Initiative is working to bridge gaps in tech career access by offering free training and mentorship to underserved communities. Founded on the belief that education and practical skills can unlock economic opportunity, the program is aimed at individuals who may not have had the chance to explore careers in technology.

Launched in October 2024, the program, led by CEO and Founding Member Omer Qureshi and Founding Member/Chairperson Eddie Rye, was created to “equip hardworking individuals, regardless of background, with the tools needed to succeed in technology careers.”

Starting with 50 students in its first 12-week session, the program has grown to include more than 150 students and now offers an upgraded curriculum as its second cohort nears graduation.

“We started off with 50 students and we built together an industry-leading technical curriculum which is grounded not on theory but a practical approach of how the job is actually getting done,” Qureshi said. “Now from those 50 students and running the first version of the curriculum, we learned a lot and we got a lot of good feedback. We did a lot of things right, but there were things that we could improve on that we made version two of the program.”

The 12-week program includes 120 hours of instruction, with 40 hours delivered in-person and the remainder completed through self-paced remote learning.

To reach individuals who might not otherwise consider a career in technology, Americans 4 Equality offers one-month introductory courses in partnership with organizations like Community Passageways and Africatown. These programs are tailored for young people engaged in violence prevention efforts and for individuals facing housing insecurity, providing early exposure to tech fundamentals in a supportive setting.

The program’s curriculum covers a broad array of high-demand tech sectors, including cloud computing, cybersecurity, programming, generative AI, human resources and corporate integration, and data analytics. These areas, Qureshi noted, were chosen to meet industry demand and equip graduates for immediate employment opportunities.

According to data provided by Americans 4 Equality, cloud computing accounts for up to 356,700 job openings annually. Programming has about 327,900 openings, while data analytics and generative AI fields are experiencing an average growth rate of 37%. There are currently an estimated 4 million unfilled jobs in cybersecurity across the U.S., and HR and corporate integration sees 74,200 new job opportunities annually.

Despite this demand, women and minority workers remain underrepresented in the tech sector. Women hold just 26% of computing jobs, and Black and Hispanic workers make up only 15% of the tech workforce. Black women account for just 1.9% of executive roles. The MLK Gandhi Empowerment Initiative aims to close those gaps by ensuring “equal access to opportunities and resources.”

Erica Hoard, a mother of three, is a graduate of the first cohort. With a work history in customer service and retail, Hoard said the program opened doors she never imagined.

“I am a proud graduate of Cohort 1 of this program. I graduated in March and after graduation I was accepted as an intern, and since April I have been using the tools that I’ve learned basically to apply them to real world projects and I am excited to continue building a future in tech with everything that I’ve learned,” Hoard said. “I was able to gain skills and learned things that I was interested in, but never really thought that I was smart enough to do.”

“This program pretty much changed the way I thought about tech and my ability to learn it and retain the information,” continued Hoard. “My biggest struggle was the programming part of it, but with the help of my mentor, he was able to break it down for me in a way that I understand it.”

Bryan Haynes, another graduate of the first cohort, brought existing tech skills to the program but said it sharpened and expanded his capabilities. He now serves as an intern in social media marketing and photography and advocates for the program among his peers.

“This program has given me the ability to use the skills that I had before this program, like the technical skills like my photography, combined them with all of the industry practices that they use with AI and programming and other stuff, especially with web design and web development,” said Haynes. “With these programs we are currently boosting our social media platforms, so we can bring more students to the program. I have definitely been trying to get a lot of my friends and a lot of my colleagues that I know are interested in tech and feel they should join.”

Qureshi said the success of the program, and the stories of students like Hoard and Haynes, fuel his commitment to its mission.

“I believe in this,” he said. “That’s why I’m putting my own time and a passion in terms of this cause. AI education, cybersecurity education should be open to all Americans regardless of their economic means. And we have enough jobs in this country open today to employ millions if those people have the education. So, I’m driven by this cause. I see the results. I’m seeing the light that gets turned on from a student that joins in the first day of our 12 weeks long course, and by the time they’re ending, they believe in themselves, and that in itself is very gratifying.”