Source: Sean Mathis / Getty
Black Girls Code founder and CEO Kimberly Bryant was suspended from the nonprofit organization by its board which claims Bryant is under investigation and named in several misconduct complaints.
“Press release: so it’s 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification. VC: @BlackGirlsCode,” Bryant tweeted on Dec. 21.
In the replies, the founder followed up with, “Yes. This happened. It’s illegal. A mess. Without Cause.”
Bryant’s ousting from the organization she created comes right on the heels of Black Girls Code celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The Oakland, California-based nonprofit, founded in 2011, supports Black girls growing within their STEM education journey and interested in computer programming and tech.
Since its inception, Black Girls Code now spans 15 chapters and has partnered with Google, Nike, TikTok, Facebook, IBM, Macy’s and more.
Bryant has additionally expressed feeling her suspension was unexpected. She claims she was locked out of her work email and Slack accounts on Dec. 21 and despite reaching out to fellow higher-ups at the nonprofit regarding why she couldn’t get access, no one got back to her.
In a message sent to her personal email that same day, say says interim Board Chair Heather Hiles informed her that she was suspended, effective immediately, and an interim executive director had been appointed to the organization.
A spokesperson for Black Girls Code detailed last week that the founder was “placed on paid, administrative leave and removed from leadership pending an investigation about Bryant’s conduct,” reports Insider. The nonprofit’s representative also shared that the Black Girls Code board created a specialized committee in October to investigate the complaints on Bryant’s leadership style.
Without providing additional content, the nonprofit’s board said it was looking into “serious allegations of workplace impropriety.”
Bryant further highlighted that she wasn’t told she was under formal investigation or that the board’s special committee was created regarding allegations against her. Moreover, the founder said she wasn’t informed of the board’s impending vote on her future within the company, and she feels Hiles disregarded “standard procedures for nonprofit governance with the intent to push her out,” according to Insider.
“It would have been nice, professional, and even courteous to apprise me of what the specific allegations are, because they have not been articulated to me in any clear format,” Bryant told the outlet, later adding, “It is unconscionable for people like Ms. Hiles and her cronies to take advantage of a grassroots organization like BGC for their own personal gain.”
“My hope is that the outcome of this conflict will resolve amicably and include protecting BGC and all that we have built as a legacy over the last 10 years for Black women and girls,” Bryant added.
Hiles began serving as the organization’s interim chair in September. According to the Daily Beast, Bryant opposed Hiles’ nomination for the position and previously accused the latter of “belittling” and “verbally berating” her in a meeting.
“Our board dynamics are the most dysfunctional, toxic, manipulative, and unsupportive I have ever encountered in a Board capacity,” Bryant wrote in a memo in October.
Conversely, a former employee of Black Girls Code expressed their belief that Bryant is the one getting in the way of the nonprofit’s growth.
“If Kimberly can just allow herself to be the face and let someone else handle the business side, the organization can grow phenomenally,” former Black Girls Code employee Charles Anderson told Insider. According to the ex-staffer, Bryant “chose a phenomenal board.”
“These were all legit professionals,” Anderson additionally said of the board.
We’ll keep you updated as this story progresses.
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