At Climb, we believe that Black lives matter and are committed to working for the career success of our Black students and the Black community at large. To assist with this, we’ve compiled a list of 32 Black professional organizations dedicated to creating access and providing career support. Do you know of an organization that wasn’t included in the below list? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll be sure to add it!
Industry-specific associations
Technology and design
All Star Code
“My aim is for All Star Code to be an organization that gives young, intelligent, driven men of color access to this exciting and dynamic field rooted in black excellence. With the right skills and support system behind them, and just knowing that their success is possible, there is no limit to what our young men can do — my father proved it.”
Black Data Processing Associates
“For more than 40 years, BDPA has enabled the upward mobility of African Americans and other minorities in the Information Technology (IT) and STEM fields. Through its 30+ local community chapters in major cities across the United States, BDPA has been at the forefront of promoting the minority agenda within the IT profession since 1975.”
Black Girls Code
“Black Girls CODE is devoted to showing the world that black girls can code, and do so much more. By reaching out to the community through workshops and after school programs, Black Girls CODE introduces computer coding lessons to young girls from underrepresented communities in programming languages such as Scratch or Ruby on Rails. Black Girls CODE has set out to prove to the world that girls of every color have the skills to become the programmers of tomorrow. By promoting classes and programs we hope to grow the number of women of color working in technology and give underprivileged girls a chance to become the masters of their technological worlds.”
Code2040
“Our mission is to activate, connect, and mobilize the largest racial equity community in tech to dismantle the structural barriers that prevent the full participation and leadership of Black and Latinx people in the innovation economy.”
/dev/color
“In 2015, a small group of Black engineers came together to start /dev/color. There were just eleven of us at the first meeting at a restaurant in San Francisco, but we all shared a common vision: to build a community of Black software engineers who helped one another reach ambitious career goals. Since then we’ve helped one another find new jobs, learn new technologies, start companies, and create a sense of belonging in Silicon Valley.”
Black Women Talk Tech
“The roadmap to billions wasn’t designed for us, so we created our own. Now, we’re building community and profitable, scalable businesses for self-identified Black women in tech, together. Black Women Talk Tech is a collective of black women tech founders who have a unique understanding of the challenges we face and the advantages we bring in the industry. We’re here to identify, support and encourage black women to build the next billion dollar business.”
National Society of Black Engineers
“With more than 500 chapters and nearly 16,000 active members in the U.S. and abroad, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the United States. NSBE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975, supports and promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology.”
Organization of Black Designers
“OBD is a national professional organization of interior, industrial, architectural, fashion and graphic designers dedicated to promoting the visibility, empowerment, education and interaction of its membership and the understanding and value that diverse design perspectives contribute to world culture and commerce.”
Business
National Association of Black Accountants
“The National Association of Black Accountants (NABA, Inc.), is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for black professionals in the accounting, finance and related business professions. Representing more than 200,000 black professionals in these fields, NABA advances people, careers, and the mission by providing education, resources, and meaningful career connections to both professional and student members, fulfilling the principle of our motto: Lifting As We Climb.”
National Association of Black Administrative Professionals
“The mission of the National Association of Black Administrative Professionals is to build, elevate, and excel the experiences of Black administrative professionals by supporting their career development through programming and collaboration.”
National Economic Association
“The National Economic Association (NEA) was founded in 1969 as the Caucus of Black Economists to promote the professional lives of minorities within the profession. In addition to continuing its founding mission, the organization is particularly interested in producing and distributing knowledge of economic issues that are of exceptional interest to promoting economic growth among native and immigrant African Americans, Latinos, and other people of color.”
National Sales Network
“National Sales Network (NSN) is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit membership organization whose objective is to meet the professional and developmental needs of sales and sales management professionals and individuals who want to improve their professional sales skills.”
Healthcare
National Black Nurses Association
“THE NATIONAL BLACK NURSES ASSOCIATION, INC. was organized in 1971 under the leadership of Dr. Lauranne Sams, former Dean and Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama. NBNA represents approximately 200,000 African American nurses from the USA, Canada, Eastern Caribbean and Africa, with 115 chartered chapters nationwide. NBNA mission is to provide a forum for collective action by African American nurses to represent and provide a forum for black nurses to advocate for and implement strategies to ensure access to the highest quality of healthcare for persons of color.”
National Dental Hygienists’ Association
“In 1932, the National Dental Hygienists’ Association (NDHA) was founded by African American Dental Hygienists’ to address the special problems faced by the minority hygienist in the profession as well as unite the limited number of minority dental hygiene practitioners in the United States.”
National Medical Association
“The National Medical Association (NMA) is the collective voice of African American physicians and the leading force for parity and justice in medicine and the elimination of disparities in health. The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States.”
National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition
“A professional organization of nearly 600 African American dietetic and nutrition practitioners as well as members of other ethnic backgrounds committed to our mission. We have served members for over 50 years as a networking group. In 2008, NOBIDAN became the fourth Member Interest Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.”
Association of Black Women Physicians
“The Association of Black Women Physicians is an organized network of African-American women physicians committed to the improvement of public health and welfare, through the advancement of knowledge concerning women and the community health. We are a nonprofit organization, serving as a philanthropic source of funds to projects committed to improving the health and wellness concerns of traditionally under-served communities and assisting in eliminating health disparities. We also endeavor to enhance the personal and professional quality of life for present and future African-American women physicians.”
National Association for Black Veterinarians
“The NABV state and local chapters will operate for educational purposes by promoting the NABV’s mission to provide a medium for blacks in veterinary medicine to engage with faculty, staff, and students through professional, social, academic and cultural activities for the purpose of building lasting relationships, instilling pride, and fostering diversity as an integral part of the veterinary medicine agenda by promoting the participation of people in the communities and supporting and further promoting the improved relations among diverse peoples throughout the nation and beyond.”
Education
National Alliance of Black School Educators
“Founded in 1970, NABSE is dedicated to improving both the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American youth through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance and overall achievement.”
National Association of Black Male Educators
“NABME’s mission is to increase the number of responsible black male educators who succeed at professionally and positively impacting their communities. The organization provides a wide range of services to include: developing high school and undergraduate student interest and awareness in the field of education, training and building the capacity of black and minority male educators, influence and contribute to the policies of education, promote the professional advancement of black and minority male educators”
Cosmetology and barbering
Black Beauty Association
“The Black Beauty Association (BBA) promotes the businesses of Beauty Professionals which includes but aren’t limited to established cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians, massage therapists, barbers, make-up artists, photographers, models, fashion stylists, fashion designers, product manufactures, distributors and beauty show producers. BBA is dedicated to meeting the professional needs of black beauty professionals, licensed beauty professionals, and beauty industry students.”
Black Owned Beauty Supply Association
“The BOBSA Organization was established in 2003 for the purpose of empowering the African American beauty and barber community in order to establish sustained economic development in the black hair care and cosmetics sector.”
Professional Black Barbers Association
“To create and disseminate knowledge to the Barbering and Cosmetology trade through an on-line forum of research tools, artistic expression and networking events. To help promote the “Black Health Awareness Initiative” programs into the communities we serve by our value of commitment to quality, ethical behavior to society, and respect for one another while fostering the advantages provided by a relatively large community of diverse clientele. To remain open to the exchange of ideas where discovery, creativity, personal and professional development can flourish.”
Culinary
Black Culinarian Alliance
“BCAGlobal empowers people of color across diverse cultures through education, training and mentoring within a mindfulness approach to food, coupled with practical skills in the hospitality & culinary industries, leading to meaningful connections that further a vision of a beloved community.”
General professional and entrepreneurial organizations
100 Black Men of America
“The mission of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. is to improve the quality of life within our communities and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all African Americans.”
Black Career Network
Network for the Black community to find and post available jobs, as well as to attend career events.
Black Career Women Network
“Our purpose is to bridge the gap of support for professional development and mentor access by providing curated tools, resources, content, and a strong network for women to strategically manage their careers, navigate the workplace, and thrive professionally.”
Black Female Founders
“Our mission is to provide awareness, promotion, support and resources for Black women led tech-based* and tech-enabled* startups throughout the U.S. and Black Diaspora.”
Black Founders
“Black Founders was started in 2011 as an organization that would empower entrepreneurs and provide founders with access to advice, mentorship, and funding. The Black Founders mission is to increase the number of successful black entrepreneurs in technology. Our goal is to create an ecosystem that stimulates tech entrepreneurship and fosters economic growth in the community. Our vision for Black Founders is to develop global programs that equip entrepreneurs, inspire innovation, and allow us to share resources and knowledge.”
The Hidden Genius Project
“The Hidden Genius Project was founded in 2012 by five black male entrepreneurs/technologists who were unnerved by the dramatic juxtaposition between the high unemployment of black male youth and the plethora of career opportunities within the local technology sector. To address this challenge, the founders established a program to connect young black males with the skills, mentors, and experiences that they need to become high-performing entrepreneurs and technologists in a 21st century, global economy.”
National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs
“The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc., founded in 1935, is an organization of African American women that are business owners, certified, licensed and degreed professionals. Since our inception, we’ve built a rich history of promoting and protecting the interest of progressive women in Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Technology and Service (L.E.T.S.) in areas of Health, Education, Employment and Economic Development (H.E.E.D.)”
National Coalition of 100 Black Women
“The National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW) was launched on October 24, 1981, with representatives from 14 states and the District of Columbia, and selected Jewell Jackson McCabe as its first national president. Its mission is to advocate on behalf of women of color through national and local actions and strategic alliances that promote the NCBW agenda on leadership development and gender equity in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment. The rapidity by which the organization grew is attested to by the statistics of 1986: 47 chapters in 19 states.”
National Black Business Council, Inc
“The National Black Business Council is a 501 (c)(6) non profit organization dedicated to the creation and advancement of African American and minority owned businesses. Our mission is to create and support programs that will close the economic and digital divides between minority and majority businesses. The Council accomplishes its mission through the strategic partnerships with Fortune 1000 companies which provide member businesses with procurement opportunities and access to capital. Representing a powerful community of entrepreneurs, the Council works closely with state and federal legislators on issues of concern to black businesses.”
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3 thoughts on “32 Black Professional Organizations and Associations”
I don’t see the National Association of Black Administrative Professionals. The are doing alot in the executive Professionals space and even provide scholarships.
http://www.nabap.org
Thanks so much for the tip, Rachel! They’ve been added to the page.
Good evening I’m looking for tax attorney who specializes in crypto taxes. It would be a bonus if they also have finanical services available ex managing finances .