by Hussainatu Blake, JD, MA and Symone Campbell, PHD
Credit: Courtesy photos
In today’s digital age, tech regulation is a frontline issue of equity and innovation. For Black EdTech leaders worldwide, the question is clear: will we shape the digital future, or be shaped by it?
According to National University, “As its name suggests, EdTech occupies the intersection where teaching and technology meet.”
Globally, in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Brazil, Black technologists are building groundbreaking educational technologies (EdTech) that expand access, preserve cultural heritage and unlock economic opportunity. Yet, despite these achievements, they often operate in policy vacuums or hostile regulatory environments that stifle creativity, limit funding, and expose intellectual property to exploitation.
In the United States, about 2 percent of EdTech company leaders and roughly 5 percent of developers identify as Black. Despite this underrepresentation, Black technologists still push for culturally responsive products that meet the needs of Black learners. From early literacy platforms rooted in African American storytelling traditions to modern digital educational tools embedded with Black culture in mind, these innovations have profoundly shaped the educational experiences of Black students.
If we are serious about creating an inclusive digital future, Black EdTech leaders must not only innovate, but also organize to shape the policies that govern innovation.
Building enabling regulatory environments
Black EdTech voices must be intentionally included in policy making spaces shaping data governance, platform accountability, funding and IP protections. Enabling environments require governments to remove structural barriers, expand seed funding, invest in infrastructure, and ensure Black technologists can speak out without fear of retaliation or erasure.
Globally, Black technologists, like Henri Nyakarundi and Timnit Gebru, advocate for inclusive policies that lower bureaucratic hurdles, incentivize inclusive innovation hubs, and enforce protections for Black-owned digital businesses. However, industry and policy do not reflect the realities of Black technologists, choosing to only focus on the priorities of legacy tech giants.
In the U.S., Black technologists like Dr. Nicole Turner Lee, who leads the AI Equity Lab, and Kapor leaders Shana V. White and Dr. Alison Scott are influencing EdTech policy through research and advocacy that emphasize the need for AI and EdTech tools to reflect equity, cultural relevance, and the lived experiences of Black communities.
Globally, building enabling environments means amplifying Black voices in tech policy and embedding their leadership in shaping education and innovation. This requires bold, collective action—governments, industry, and civil society must co-create equitable digital policies with Black technologists.
Safeguarding intellectual property
Equally important is safeguarding Black intellectual property in the digital age. Too often, technological platforms mine Black culture for profit without respect, consent, or compensation. New frameworks for digital intellectual property rights must recognize traditional knowledge systems and protect digital content rooted not only in identity, but also ownership.
Globally, a growing number of Black EdTech entrepreneurs are developing culturally responsive digital learning platforms — for example, apps and online courses that teach African languages like Yoruba, Wolof, or Twi. In the U.S., Black EdTech leaders and platforms are also rising. By using data and curated lesson plans, these digital platforms embed subjects like math, science, literacy, and art within culturally relevant contexts to better support the learning and engagement of Black students. However, several large tech companies have begun scrapping these publicly available materials — lesson plans, cultural stories, language datasets — to train AI language models and educational products, often without consent, attribution, or compensation to the original Black creators.
This exploitation robs Black technologists of ownership, revenue, and risks misrepresenting their work. Black EdTech leaders must push for IP frameworks that protect their languages, narratives, and teaching systems as valuable global assets deserving recognition and fair compensation.
Critical policy considerations
To build inclusive digital ecosystems, Black technologists must push policymakers to prioritize:
- Access: Affordable internet, digital literacy, and device availability in marginalized communities.
- Funding: Investment in minority-led EdTech ventures.
- Protection: Stronger global standards for cultural intellectual property.
- Ethical Data Use: Clear safeguards for privacy and algorithmic fairness.
These aren’t optional. They’re essential to tech policies at every level that sustain and scale Black innovation.
A call for global collaboration
To shape a more equitable digital future, global Black communities must strengthen cross-border collaboration. By uniting EdTech technologists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, educators, and advocates, we can share expertise, build joint platforms, and influence international tech policy. Too often, existing networks are siloed and exclude Black technologist perspectives.
Strategic coalitions can elevate Black voices in global debates on AI ethics, digital access, and tech funding, ensuring Black leadership drives the development of ethical, inclusive, and sustainable tech from the start.
Conclusion
The future of tech regulation must be shaped by those committed to equity and inclusion. Black EdTech leaders are not just participants in this future, they are catalysts. Bold, collaborative, and unapologetic, their leadership is imperative to building a digital world that works for all.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.