New Initiative to Boost Afro-Descendant Women in Tech
Blue Shield of California and L.A. Care have launched the SheWorks initiative. The program is designed to create professional development opportunities and boost economic mobility for Afro-descendant women, highlighting a growing corporate focus on targeted DEI efforts.
The SheWorks initiative is a partnership between Blue Shield of California, L.A. Care, and the California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute (CBWCEI). The program is designed to address the significant barriers to career advancement faced by Black women who are underemployed, unemployed, or re-entering society after incarceration. Partial funding for the initiative is provided by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. The inaugural cohort of approximately 30 participants launched in January 2026 at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center in Long Beach. The five-month program provides comprehensive training in digital skills, financial literacy, leadership, communication, resume building, and interview preparation. To ensure participants can fully engage with the program, SheWorks provides crucial wraparound services, including childcare and transportation stipends. This initiative directly addresses the stark economic disparities faced by Black women in California. Black women in the state earn just 60 cents for every dollar paid to a white man. Furthermore, Black women are overrepresented in low-wage jobs and are twice as likely to be unhoused as white women. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the challenges persist, with Black women comprising only 3% of the region's workers but representing 8% of childcare and social services workers and 11% of public transit workers. In the tech sector, the disparity is even more pronounced. A 2020 study revealed that ten large tech companies in the Bay Area employed no Black women. The SheWorks program aims to create direct pathways to employment by connecting graduates with prospective employers. The curriculum is specifically designed to equip participants for well-paying, stable careers. Kellie Todd Griffin, President and CEO of the CBWCEI, stated that the goal is to help Black women in California move from "simply surviving to truly thriving." The program is set to expand, with additional cohorts planned for Community Resource Centers in South Los Angeles and Inglewood. This expansion reflects a broader strategy by Blue Shield of California and L.A. Care to leverage their 14 jointly-operated Community Resource Centers to address social determinants of health, viewing economic stability as a critical component of community well-being. Jennifer Schirmer, a vice president at Blue Shield Promise, emphasized that the collaboration aims to "empower women to care for their health and advance their careers right in their own neighborhoods." Charlie Robinson, Chief Health Equity Officer at L.A. Care, added that supporting women's career goals "strengthens families and neighborhoods." The California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute, the co-creator of SheWorks, is a non-profit organization focused on advancing the social, political, and economic empowerment of Black women and girls throughout California through research, policy advocacy, and leadership development.
