Kimberly Bryant Threatens Legal Action for Article Exposing Black Girls Code
On July 29th, 2013, I wrote an article exposing facts and opinions about Black Girls Code. The article was entitled: A professional review of Black Girls Code. Do Black Girls Code Promote Racism?
In writing the article, I wanted to address various suspicions, applauds, and concerns regarding Black Girls Code. I believe that Black Girls Code is a wonderful idea in theory. What I am not sure, however, is whether or not Black Girls Code is the real deal or just stale meat-loaf? I am also not sure why Black Girls Code appears to be excluding the most vulnerable sector of minorities: African-American males or black boys.
The skeptical public (refer to graphical posts) has contributed to suspicions about Black Girls Code. For example, some persons of the public question whether or not Black Girls Code is an affinity scam that preys upon young women of color and corporate donors. Public suspicions may also exist as to whether or not Black Girls Code is a truly legit operation that actually is assisting thousands of young black girls write "computer-code" Alternatively, cynical persons will always have their suspicions, while media pundits want to know if Black Girls Code is both a legitimate non-profit organization and has it complied with I.R.S. regulations that specify how funds must be used when accepting general donations from the public for a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization? Likewise, young black female supporters claim Black Girls Code is great. We hope that this article will address some of these concerns.
According to Kimberly Bryant, the stated objective displayed on the website of Black Girls Code is that "By launching Black Girls Code, I hope to provide young and pre-teen girls of color opportunities to learn in-demand skills to at (sic) a time when they are naturally thinking about what they want to be when they grow up." Note: Grammatical errors have not been edited, and are re-printed AS IS. Source: the website of Black Girls Code..
Black Girls Code Founder Kimberly Bryant Gets Defensive.
Insinuates Legal Action
When I posted my original review of Black Girls Code, KImberly Bryant reacted angrily, called a general information number, demanded to have a street address where I can be contacted, implied that I even run National Academy of American Scholars, and suggested the content was libelous and/or slanderous. Wow! Given the fact that I started blogging less than 1 year ago, there is a 25 years gap that excludes the insinuations of Kimberly Bryant from being possible.
I suspect that most serious students so not need any 'music' to motivate them. Thus, I may not fit the stereotypical image of the persons that Ms. Bryant may be accustomed to. I am a writer, a free-speech SEO blogger. I write compelling content. I do not own, manage, or direct any company, or organization.
Having witnessed first-hand Kimberly Bryant, my impression is 'What can you expect from a Vanderbilt University graduate?' Kimberly Bryant admits her association with this school.
Below is a response from Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant, an alleged graduate of Vanderbilt University, in response to a Free-Speech article addressing legitimate concerns in regards to the mission, operation, and apparent exclusion of Black boys from her group.
"It has come to my attention that you have posted a libelous and potentially slanderous blog post in the public domain regarding my organization Black Girls CODE. I have forwarded a copy of your article to our attorneys for review and would like to contact you directly for resolution of this matter." ----Kimberly Bryant to Ron Thomas (Total character count: 299 characters)
Awkward Response from Black Girls Code Founder Kimberly Bryant
The response of Black Girls Code Founder Kimberly Bryant to a legitimate free-speech article addressing community concerns and suspicions of her organization is remarkable on one hand. The sad part, is that her awkward response lends great credibility to the suspcions expressed by others with regards to the credibility, mission, objectives, and seemingly ill-will of Black Girls Code towards young black boys, and towards educated African-American males.
"Simply because Kimberly Bryant is both black and a female does not mean she deserves special media privileges, a lesser inspection, and neither does it mean that her Black Girls Code organization has the right to chill, disrupt, or intimidate the free-speech rights of the general public."
Upon further introspective, it is rather obvious that Kimberly Bryant does not want anyone poking their nose into the affairs of her Black Girls Code organization. Based upon an email she sent to me, Kimberly Bryant gets angry real quick if anyone simply voices their concerns about the credibility of the organization Black Girls Code, and where funds are used as publicly claimed. Lawsuits! Attorneys! Censorship! Etc.
Apparently, critics of Black Girls Code have limited or zero U.S. Constitutional rights, and we are simply supposed to deliver nothing but praises to Kimberly Bryant and her Black Girls Code organization. Like the bankruptcy of Detroit, MI, and the collapse of numerous Chicago, IL school districts, we are supposed to blindly throw money to any group who pitches a cause to help black girls or women of color.
The response of Kimberly Bryant was quite awkward. Why not address the issues raised, provide facts to rebut allegations, and dismiss the censorship talk?
Community Concerns About Black Girls Code organization
The electronic response of Black Girls Code fails to address and articulate the topics and concerns raised in the professional review of the Black Girls Code article, to wit:
- A concern that very little mention in the Black Girls Code marketing literature mentions, references, or even cites statistics related to the serious issues affecting young African-American men; or, even poor working-class "white-girls"
- A concern that Black Girls Code does not appear to offer any support to African-American boys, and neither does the organization even acknowledge the existence of the black male youth, and that such young African-American males require support.
- A concern that Black Girls Code appears to be a divisive effort to supplant black girls over black boys in-order to justify racial myths and to lesson the threat of an educated African-American male.
- A concern that the desktop website of Black Girls Code is programmed in an old version of .HTML instead of the more advanced .PHP or HTML5.
- A concern that it is inconsistent to be promoting a subject like Black Girls Code when the principal website of the promoter is programmed in an inferior language that is more than 20 years old. Very few advanced programmers are programming their website in the old version of .HTML
- A concern that the programming code of the Black Girls Code website used a cookie-cooker HTML authoring tool that is designed for novice or beginner website programmers.
- A concern that the desktop website of Kimberly Bryant and her Black Girls Code has many other suspicious signs, and tell-tale signs of unprofessionalism.
- A concern that the central message of the website of Black Girls Code is "donations" and efforts to market t-shirts.
- A concern that there does not appear to be any form requests for businesses or direct emails for consumers or businesses to reach out to one of the over 2,000 alleged black girls that Black Girls Code has allegedly trained and educated to develop custom websites, or mobile apps.
- A concern that the mobile website of Black Girls Code is lacking in professionalism, but continues to over emphasize a request for Donations!
- A concern that the same organization supporting Black Girls Code have little or no history of supporting African-American male youth.
- A concern about how monies raised for the Black Girls Code have been spent, and why the details have not been posted on the Black Girls Code web site.
- A concern about the actual number of Black Girls that have been trained and properly educated as to the programs cited on the website of Black Girls Code.
- A concern as to whether or not Black Girls Code is in compliance with mandatory IRS regulations for a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and is willing to make its tax returns available to the general public upon request.
I.R.S. Requirements and Legal Demands
Made Upon the Black Girls Code Organization
Few non-profit organizations question the constitutional legitimacy of Free-Speech, or the legal right of any member of the public to survey the affairs of a tax-exempt organization. Even fewer non-profit organizations look for ways to attack or question the credibility of the critic(s).
As a citizen of these United States of America, I, Ron Thomas, have an absolute and undivided legal right to critic ANY ORGANIZATION IN THE U.S.A., AS WELL AS ANY ORGANIZATION, PERSON, OR ENTITY IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE BLACK GIRLS CODE ORGANIZATION; I am not sure what part of this factual statement is unclear to Black Girls Code, or its founder Kimberly Bryant.
I have no plans to either surrender, limit, or forfeit the U.S. Constitutional Rights that my ancestors fought so bravely for. Whereas Kimberly Bryant threatens or insinuates legal action predicated on written speech, a better approach would be to address the valid concerns raised in the article that discusses her Black Girls Code organization.
On August 3rd, 2013, I posted a demand on the Scholarship Blog that I am a contributor to regarding Black Girls Code. I electronically served a notice of the demand to the email address of Kimberly Bryant, the founder of Black Girls Code. The portly Kimberly Bryant of Black Girls Code should not be confused with the curvaceous, blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress of the same name that formerly appeared on the Real Housewives of Orange County. For clarity, I have enclosed a picture of the Black Girls Code founder. The demand was to comply with I.R.S. federal regulations concerning non-profit organizations, particularly those demands enounced per Internal Revenue Code 6104(d)(IRC 6104(e), and Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2 (“TBOR2"), P.L. 104-268, 110 Stat. 1452, amended IRC 6104, which require Black Girls to provide a member of the public at least three years worth of tax return, and other information to verfiy its legitimacy
As of today's date, I have not received the requested tax documentation, and nor have I received a timeline when Black Girls Code will comply with my legal demands.
Like her insinuations of voided free-speech rights for critics of Black Girls Code, apparently even rights afforded under the I.R.S. don't apply to critics either.Stay tuned to this Scholarship Blog for news, information regarding scholarships, grants, financial-aid, and education-related topics.
For lucrative scholarships, grants, and financial-aid options for women, moms, and students, including African-American males, and African-American females, as well as all other persons regardless of ethnicity, or religion, please review the scholarships, and grants sponsored by National Academy of American Scholars:
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