Bold Prize

Revolution is not a one time event." 

Announcing the 2020 Bold Prize Honorees:

Timnit Gebru, Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks

There is a cost to speaking out and for perhaps the first time, many of us are awakening to the reality that to create the type of world we deserve, we must call upon bravery again and again and again. As Audre Lorde said, “Revolution is not a one time event.”

Revolutions are not at odds with peace. Revolutions represent a shift, a recognition that there is a gap between the world we have and the world we deserve. I am proud to work with, support and stand with Black women in tech who use their power to bridge revolutionary gaps and advance justice for our communities. Their leadership is the type that should be elevated and championed, and I am proud to create a space to honor those who are brave enough to use their voice to keep our communities safe and build the type of world we deserve. 

I am crowdfunding the Bold Prize to thank Timnit Gebru, Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks for their leadership, and I am inviting you to join me.

My name is Sabrina Hersi Issa. I am a human rights technologist, an investor and a Black woman executive in technology. In 2019 I created the Bold Prize, a crowdfunded leadership award. The inaugural award celebrated the courageous leadership of Arwa Michelle Mboya, an MIT graduate student who endured backlash for her brave call for the immediate resignation now-former MIT Media Lab Director Joi Ito. As I wrote in the 2019 Bold Prize announcement, I did not personally know Arwa then but I have come to know her since; she is a phenomenal leader who continues to lead groundbreaking industry-shifting work. Her future is so bright. I remain inspired by the courage and leadership Arwa continues to model in the world and I am proud to share that she joined the jury for this year’s Bold Prize. 

The Bold Prize is intended to lift up and honor courageous Black women leaders. Often Black women navigating painful environments like these feel invisible and isolated. This award is a small gesture to say: We see you. We got us. 

Together we are proud to invite you to donate to 2020’s Bold Prize and celebrate the leadership, integrity and courage of Timnit Gebru, Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks. 

From their example, I know it is possible to reimagine what leadership and power looks like in this country. 

None of this will be easy; there is only hard work ahead. Our futures, in business and in the world, are in continuous flux, but opportunities to build a better world still exists. 

To meet this promise, we must work together to raise up a new constellation of leadership who embrace complexity and do not evade the hard work necessary to build a future that is great for all people. Timnit, Ifeoma and Aerica each approach their work and leadership in this manner: they are intentional, collaborative, and committed to co-creating solutions in community and with community. This is leadership that is vital in the technology sector to create inclusive futures and achieve radical possibilities.

Join me in thanking Timnit, Ifeoma and Aerica for using their voice and their power to be possibility models for a better, brighter, bolder world. 

I know money will not erase the void of ethical leadership at companies like Google or Pinterest, but I hope this gesture will help inspire more people to lead with courage and integrity. The Bold Prize is a collective, crowdfunded effort because it will take all of us to build a better world.

Everyone has power. 

How we choose to use our power says a lot about who we are. 

Timnit, Ifeoma and Aerica use their collective power to bridge revolutionary gaps. 

What story does your power tell about you?

Let’s go. 

Sabrina

Information & Logistics

• You may donate via GoFundMe: Charity, ActBlue or Venmo (@beingbrina) 
• All money raised goes to Bold Prize honorees. 
• If you would like to donate directly or sponsor the Bold Prize, please get in touch! impact@beboldmedia.com
• If you are a Googler and would like to put that 3x match for philanthropic donations to good use, I am very cool with that! 
• Bold Prize donations are tax deductible.