Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 7/6/2016 (Shawnta Turner-Richard, Houston White)

Shawnta Turner-Richard (BDPA Twin Cities)

First Fridays Honors Two Up-and-Coming Entrepreneurs. On July 1, July’s First Fridays Twin Cities honored two Minnesotans in its “Faces of the Month” recognition.

The tradition continues in honoring people who are making a difference in the Black community. Shawnta Turner-Richard was the female honored for the month of July. Being honored was “a shock to me,” she said. She has a background in community service, promotion and entrepreneurial work within the Twin Cities and Atlanta.

Turner-Richard has worked on events for the United Negro College Fund, including two walk events here in the Twin Cities, and she is currently a project manager at Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Drive camp. Through BDPA youth learn about technology.

Read the full Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 1/15/2016 (Fredrick Blocton, Sifora Tek-Lab)

2015 HSTP graduates (l-r) Isaiah Brown, Mohammed Abdi,
Kiani DeJuan Burkett, Diliet Tekie, and Jesus Vega (not pictured)

Tech Group Draws Students Into ‘Smart Zones’. On Friday, January 8, Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) celebrated its 11th year with a graduation and awards ceremony emceed by Dawn Stevens of FOX 9 news. The theme of the event: transformational leadership.

Approximately 50 students between fourth grade and college level were honored at the event. BDPA is an all-volunteer organization, from the instructors to the students they teach. It boast a 100 percent graduation rate.

Fredrick Blocton, the Twin Cities BDPA chapter president, described their role in creating a foundation for future transformational leaders: “All of our kids that come into BDPA come into what we consider a smart zone. A smart zone means that when you come into the BDPA program you get the opportunity to be as smart as you want to be. And when kids come in they see the other kids trudging away at technology…and they start to all do the same thing. They get in the smart zone and they are able to open up their brains,” Blocton continued. “And what it does is it flips on the switch for them and gives them the opportunity not only to learn in technology, but in other areas of their lives, too.”

Read the rest of the article on MSR Online.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 1/30/2013 (Irwin Sylvah, Emmaly Manchanthasouk)

Irwin Sylvah and Emmaly Manchanthasouk

Black IT Pros Give Bank. Lots of people talk about “giving back,” “reaching back,” “paying it forward,” all expressions of how important it is that those who have been fortunate return the favor to others. That principle is alive and well at the local chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), which is showing the rest of the Twin Cities what it really means to extend a helping hand to the next generation. BDPA has been quietly and steadily doing just that for the past eight years.

Read the rest of the MSR article.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 6/20/2012 (Dorothy Richburg)

CEO Richburg Credits Business Success to Encouragement from Others. Sitting down to talk to Dorothy Richburg is like being with a friend. She’s so warm and kind, it’s easy to forget she’s one of the most influential women in the Twin Cities. Richburg is founder and president of KCS, a Maplewood-based information technology solutions company that she and her husband Joe started 25 years ago. The company employs more than 165 people, does business in seven states, and has numerous clients, including several of Minnesota’s largest employers such as General Mills, 3M Company and Medtronics.

Read the rest of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 12/21/2011 (Monica Anderson, BDPA Twin Cities)

Dr. Monica Anderson

Black Data Processing Associates Celebrates Innovative Young People. BDPA Twin Cities will hold its Seventh Annual Awards Ceremony on Friday, January 6, at Metropolitan Ballroom, 5418 Wayzata Boulevard, Golden Valley. There will be a reception at 5:30 pm and dinner at 7 pm. The theme for this year’s event is “Ignite, Inspire & Empower: The GPS of Future Technologists.”

The keynote speaker will be Monica Anderson. In 2007, Anderson graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering and is now an assistant professor in the computer science department at the University of Alabama. She is the creator of PREOP, a program which allows computer science novices to program robots graphically using an intuitive object-based interface.

Click here to see the rest of the Spokesman-Recorder article.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 9/21/2011 (BDPA Twin Cities)

BDPA Twin Cities Place 5th at National Computer Competition. The Twin Cities Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Minnesota teams won first and fifth place at the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition, which was part of the 2011 33rd Annual BDPA Technology Conference held August 3-6 in Chicago.

The members of the High School Computer (HSCC) team were Cedric Cyrus (Como HS), Samantha Spears (Woodbury HS), Jorian Wulf (St. Paul Central HS) and Douglas Callahan (St. Paul Central HS). The Twin Cities Chapter High School Competition Team took fifth place out of 45 teams. The Rochester team won first place, Detroit team placed second, Columbus, Ohio team placed third, and the Atlanta team placed fourth.

Read the rest of the  Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article.

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 12/22/2009 (Joe Richburg, Aaron Young)

Music Producer Promotes High-Tech Careers to Youth. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Twin Cities is planning an evening of celebration on January 8, when it will honor the Twin Cities' top IT professionals at its fifth annual awards ceremony. Music producer Andre Fischer, recognized for producing and arranging Natalie Cole's Grammy award-winning album, Unforgettalbe, will keynote the BDPA's ceremony.

"We want to excite youth so they pursue and education and a career in IT," says Aaron Young, president of the BDPA Twin Cities chapter.

Read the full Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article here.