Karen Attiah:

In just one week, Resistance Summer School went from being an idea on Bluesky to a real, sold-out course.

Thousands of you expressed interest. Over 500 students from around the world have joined the first cohort.

And, y’all. We hit the 500-student cap in just 48 hours. Over a weekend.

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for all the support, encouragement, and energy — and even more excited for what’s ahead.

When I applied to Attiah’s course on Race, Media, and International Affairs, I wasn’t expecting to get in. I’m thrilled to be in the initial cohort.

The course starts in July, and includes six weekly lectures, led by Attiah. These lectures will cover:

[…] the history of mass media in the West, and how constructed notions of race in journalism shaped both domestic and international relations.

The course also includes guest lectures, live Q&A, and syllabus readings. It should make for an educational summer.

While I was an engineering leader, I spent my two-plus decades at Apple fostering inclusive and diverse work environments while exploring race and gender in the technology industry. I was a co-chair of Apple’s Black/African-American employee organization for nearly a decade, and part of the early leadership team for the company’s Women in Technology group for a couple of years, too.

I’ve helped shape pilot programs on race and justice, which then rolled out to hundreds of participants across the company. I presented at—and helped others prepare their own talks and “fireside chats” for—the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Grace Hopper Conference (GHC), schools, and elsewhere.

This course will put me back into a space I enjoy immensely: surrounded by sharp people wrestling with challenging ideas. These crucial conversations push our knowledge and understanding of the world—and each other—forward. I love being a part of them. And—selfishly—joining this cohort is a first step toward building my own intellectual salon.