Johnnie and Alexa Turnage are encouraging more Black and brown geniuses to raise their hands and take control of their fears and anxieties in unfamiliar spaces. The Detroit-based couple, who co-founded Black Tech Saturdays, brought the “Bright Future: Black Genius” to Houston as part of their multi-city tour.
The networking event is trying to redefine what inclusion means by championing community among like-minded tech enthusiasts. It roots its events in culture and camaraderie to channel nervousness and imposter syndrome into opportunity.
“When you’re in an extreme minority in a space, it creates an imposter syndrome,” Johnnie said. “People misread some of that nervousness as ‘You’re not ready, you can’t do this.’”
The couple hosts Black Tech Saturdays in a unique way, owing to Johnnie’s background as an army brat and grassroots activism and Alexa’s entrepreneurial enthusiasm for technology and equality. They have merged their perspectives to create an ecosystem where professionals of color can thrive and not feel alone or unsupported.
In Houston, the event featured a range of founders and topics, including
- Michael Polk, the creator of Stock Pal
- Investor Dug Song, the head of the MI Founders Fund and the engine behind Michigan’s first tech unicorn and multi-billion venture-backed acquisition Duo Security
- Insights into community-driven engagement
- The fundamentals of raising capital and long-term sustainability
The Genesis of Black Tech Saturdays
What started in a Detroit conference room with five people now draws hundreds of people. The traction they received since their first big turnout in April 2023, which drew in over 250 attendees, helped them decide to open it up to more people. The event provided a space for Black innovators to collaborate on ideas, find common solutions and celebrate their culture. The events also focus on different learning opportunities and themes while focusing on stalwarts in their respective fields and skills.
It all started with their visit to AfroTech in 2022, where they witnessed multiple tech ecosystems across the country brainstorming ideas and uplifting each other to reach the next milestone. This experience led them to the realization that seeing other people passionate about innovation and solving persistent problems requires a space where professionals can meet often.
“We were like, how can we bring some of that energy back to Detroit?” Alexa said.
The initiative has grown rapidly, which highlights the need for belonging and support within underrepresented groups in tech.
“It’s hard to occupy space,” Johnnie said. “When you feel so alone you act differently. When we erase just that part, we’ve been able to create a whole wave of different opportunities and different momentum for people and that opens up the next piece. Now we can focus on learning.”
Rooting tech in culture
A cornerstone of Black Tech Saturdays is its intentional intersectionality of culture and technology. Per the Turnages’ philosophy, familiarity eliminates the extra work of trying to fit into society. If professionals can turn up as they are, the value they bring to the table amplifies.
“If everyone has what they need to belong to a community, we show up differently, we unlock our genius differently,” Johnnie said. “Some of the barriers to breaking into tech, both for Black people, women, all people of color is because the industry isn’t always built for us to belong. There’s a lot of othering. We get categorized into groups.”
This philosophy is evident in their program schedules. The platform highlights local tech heroes and focuses on mentoring attendees with skills and community-specific solutions.
For instance, Dr. Darrell Marshall, the founder of Total Analysis, is an innovator in public health and pathogenic analysis. He started his journey when his grandfather contracted a fatal illness in a hospital. He made it his life’s purpose to improve health safety in public spaces and developed a device to detect pathogens, funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. He holds a PhD in Bioanalytical Chemistry. He represents one of the 4.7% of Black grant recipients in 2021 and one of the few recipients in the last decade.
Another regular at Black Tech Saturdays is a 32-year-old artist and innovator, DaTrice Clark, who created mobile hotspots called Crosstown Connection for Detroit’s underserved areas so that residents can use the internet for free.
These projects reflect the need for a profound understanding of the problems impacting Black communities and the innovative solutions required to solve them.
The Detroit-Houston Connection
While Black Tech Saturdays started in Detroit, the Turnages say Houston holds a special place in their hearts. They almost moved here and the city’s energy still motivates them.
Houston’s ambition and hustle inspired the Turnages to bring their tour here.
“When you meet someone in Houston, they’re dedicated to getting from start to finish. I love being around that energy,” Johnnie said. “There’s a lot of Detroiters in Houston, they’re almost like kindred spirit cities.”
The couple has observed the city’s economic development in the last few years and envisions a pipeline between the two cities. Houston’s thriving Black population and entrepreneurial energy mirror Detroit in myriad ways, per the Turnages. The last event in Houston, held during AfroTech on purpose, was a symbolic full-circle moment: AfroTech’s 2022 gathering inspired the inception of Black Tech Saturdays.
Advocating for change
Beyond the usual networking and skill-building, the Turnages have positioned Black Tech Saturdays as an advocacy platform. Elevating Black voices in tech policy and decision-making takes center stage.
“Most communities of color don’t have an advocate talking about what they need in policy,” Johnnie stated. “We wanna make sure we’re hiring from the community and working with the community. We want to make sure we’re advocating for the problems, sharing these stories, and amplifying talent that goes unseen.”
For Darren Riley, the founder and CEO of JustAir, Black Tech Saturdays played a role in implementing his vision. Today, his company uses Internet of Things (IoT) technology to monitor air quality and provide data to inform policy changes. He recently won a $75K award in Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize.
Looking ahead
The Turnages have a clear goal ahead of them – to amplify voices, advocate for system change, and continue to provide a safe space for professionals of color to feel supported.
“We started Black Tech Saturdays because we saw the need for community,” Alexa said. “It’s easier when you have that community around you. You can fail fast and shift quickly when you have the people behind you lifting you up.”
From Detroit to Houston—and beyond—the couple proves that tech does not just have to be about innovation. It can also be inclusive of culture and the courage to raise your hand. With this initiative, the Turnages aimed to build more than
