Digital Dope: We Read Too (Celebrating Black Entrepreneurs in Tech)

Literacy. It is an all too important necessity for being able to communicate effectively and navigate through daily life. Globally, there are still 781 million people who cannot read or write. In a world that is moving rapidly moving towards technology to even perform the most routine tasks, literacy will become an even more critical tool in one’s ability to be able to succeed in life.

Black Entrepreneur, Kaya Thomas, had a distinct vision towards improving literacy amongst people who reside in communities of color. “We Read Too” allows you to search and discover hundreds of books written by authors of color or featuring main characters of color. We Read Too features easy to use search tools, a clean user design and interface, and a growing directory of picture books, middle-grade chapter books, and books for teenagers.

Growing up, there weren’t many opportunities to encounter diverse book selections which feature characters whom I could easily relate to. Kaya Thomas came to that same awareness as a high school student. She began dreaming of a way to easily discover books that featured characters of color; characters with whom she could relate and to and draw from similar experiences. As a freshman at Dartmouth College, Kaya went to work making her dream a reality.

Kaya was able to secure a summer internship at Time Inc. where she was able to teach herself the art of iOS programming. With her newfound skills as an iOS developer, Kaya finally had the means to bring her vision to light. Kaya is constantly working to improve the app by adding new titles, enhancing the user experience, and creating an Android version of the app. Salute to Kaya. She is a prime example of a black entrepreneur who saw a deficiency and employed the use of technology to solve a real problem and help others along the way. We love girls who code!