Group History
In 2020, co-founder Destiny Kanno started the Automatic black employee resource group called Cocomattic. She wanted to figure out a way to bring this community the WordPress community space. She teamed up with Niesha Sweet to build BlackPress, focused on bringing more students of color into WordPress. There were talks specifically about targeting HBCUs as well, which is still a part of the groups long-term mission.
Group Statistics
165
members
5
Countries
9
Events
10
Slack Channels
Founders

Destiny Fox Kanno

Allie Nimmons

Joe A Simpson

Niesha
Sweet
Organizers

Ken Elliott
Ken Elliott (Kin El-E-it), going by he/him, is the Professional Web Developer and Digital Brand Consultant for BKreative Media Solutions. With over 25 years of experience in web development, social media, and digital marketing, Ken has developed creative and engaging brand concepts for hundreds of clients. Ken is also the co-organizer of the Columbia, SC WordPress Meetup group, focused on making community happen wherever he goes.

George Woodard
George Woodard (Jorg Wood-erd) is a WordPress MarCom Website Specialist and Founder of eLsqrd Media Group. For over ten years, he is responsible for helping marketing and communication teams with creative and content efforts to continue the growth of their organization’s visibility online and provide a consistent experience for all customers across all platforms. He also assists with managing and optimizing Search Engine Optimization efforts using Google to ensure all tracking, attribution, and rating for campaigns function correctly and at speed. Doing this helps monitor web traffic, performance, conversions, and capacity to identify, prevent and resolve issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is BlackPress just for Black people?
A: No! The goal of BlackPress is to create a place where Black people and people of African descent who use WordPress can come together for support, resources, and mentorship. Non-white allies are welcome in the Slack and at our events.
Q: How much does it cost to join BlackPress?
A: There is no cost to join BlackPress or to attend any of our events.
Q: Who runs BlackPress?
A: BlackPress is organized by volunteers who are employed by different companies. No one company owns or operates the group.
Q: Are events held in person?
A: All events are held via meetup.com and Zoom. We held a small in-person mixer at WordCamp Europe and are planning our in-person mixer for WCUS 2022 now!!
Sponsors
GoDaddy Pro currently sponsors our website hosting and domain.
LearnDash currently sponsors some in-progress instructional material.
Links to Previous Features
WP Tavern: Destiny Kanno and Joe Simpson on Why They Started BlackPress
Post Status: BlackPress: Bringing More Creators into the WordPress Community
The Month in WordPress – June 2022
Important Links
Website: https://blackpresswp.com
Meetup Events: https://www.meetup.com/blackpress-meetup/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blackpresswp
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/552081169324640
LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14065143/