CHARLOTTE — As the tech industry booms, studies show less than 10% of Black men and women are working in STEM-related fields, but Johnson C. Smith University is pushing to change that.
Professor Sonya Worrell is teaching “Computers in Society,” a foundational course for all students at the historically Black institution.
“My class is very hands on,” she told Channel 9’s Damany Lewis. “So with that, I’ve had a number of students that come to me at the end of the semester, ‘I really like this.’”
Piquing their curiosity is what Worrell wants to achieve, nurturing an interest in a field that’s in high demand. She says it’s important that more African American students delve into computer science and artificial intelligence because it’s shaping the future of society. She also says representation is key.
“AI is based off of past information, and past information is not always accurate,” Worrell said. “Having more diversity behind the scenes in programming these models is very important.”
Senior Kyla Thomas is one of the first people in her family to attend college. Now, just months from graduating with a degree in computer science, she’ll walk across the stage into a full-time job as a technology consultant.
“I think it’s important to understand how technology can have implicit biases and that you need to be able to notice the biases to be able to avoid them,” she said. “Me being Black provides a different perspective that may not have even been thought of.”
Amauri Hampton is also graduating in May with a degree in computer science.
“The more African Americans we have working on AI, the least amount of chances we will have of having a negative impact on the African American community,” he said.
While computer science isn’t for everyone, he says it’s an industry more people of color should consider, knowing hard work will pay off.
Hampton will be making history within his own family as the first to graduate college. He says maybe that accomplishment makes him a park of Black history.
“I won’t be, dare I say it, famous, or you know, in the limelight, but I don’t really, don’t want to be,” he said. “I’d rather just be the person underground. You don’t really know he’s doing all this work, but he’s making such a huge impact on the community.”
VIDEO: In Charlotte’s Black neighborhoods, city encourages growth without pricing out longtime residents
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
