SAN FRANCISCO -- The Rainbow Push Coalition has teamed with Google to increase the ranks of minorities in Silicon Valley.
The Internet giant held a series of events at the group's annual conference in Chicago on Monday.
Rainbow Push said it would hold a joint event with Google in August.
Volunteers from Google and other technology companies are attending the conference to host training sessions, panels and a national town hall with youth. Rainbow Push planned to show a video on inspiring blacks to get into the technology field.
Google's chief legal officer David Drummond was also honored.
"We have a lot of work to do when it comes to diversity in our workforce," Drummond said in a written statement. "We're committed to working with civic, community and education groups and leaders like Rev. Jackson to turn these gaps into new bridges of opportunity."
In recent weeks Google and other powerful technology companies have released statistics that paint a stark picture of an industry dominated by white and Asian men.
And that puts these companies at risk of losing touch with a diverse nation -- and world -- that form its customer base.
"Google prides themselves on moonshot thinking," civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said in a statement. "It's time to harness that moonshot thinking and innovation towards closing the gap when it comes to minorities and technology."Jackson appeared at the shareholder meetings of Google and Facebook to demand the companies release information on the diversity of their work forces."
more details:usa today
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