NTBTS 2024 Symposium Beasley Keynote

4th Annual North Texas Black Tech Symposium Opening Keynote

Peter Beasley, Executive Director
Blacks United in Leading Technology

Breaking His Silence on Racism in Tech: Expelled, Publicly Shamed, and Bankrupted

Tuesday, June 11, 2024
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Attend this riveting, life-lived, triumphant story of a Black man’s 40-year journey in tech in North Texas.

Jailed, bankrupted, and then expelled in 2016 from the 300-member prestigious Society of Information Management DFW Chapter, where Beasley led the largest integration of Women, Black, Hispanic, African, and India-heritage executives in the Chapter’s then 33-year history
Chased into financial ruin by his former IT peers and colleagues in 2018 onto the hidden, racially disproportionate Texas Vexatious Litigants list (72% are Black), which blocked Beasley from ability to initiate legal proceedings. He was adjudged with the highest 20X bond in the history of mankind
Triumphant in 2020, cofounded the now 16,000+ member Blacks United in Leading Technology International nonprofit, to help achieve racial equity in tech for Black people by 2030 (“BUiLT“)

Why, in 2024, does the tech industry still leave out Black Professionals disproportionately – they hold only approximately 8% of the jobs?

Beasley, A Tech Pioneer and Champion of Equal Rights

Peter Beasley, co-founder of Blacks United in Leading Technology International since 2020, has served on technology nonprofit boards including :

DFW Texchange, as its first Black Chairman (2008)
After being denied membership in the Society of Information Management (SIM) Dallas, appealing to become its first Black member (2005) and Director (2012)
IT Service Management Forum USA, as its first Black Chairman, (2019)

As the first and only Black recipient of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, Mr. Beasley founded and led the Richardson, Texas, software venture, Netwatch Solutions from 2003 to 2019. In 2008, Beasley implemented AI predictive analytics in his solution as was awarded two patents. His products amassed an impressive collection of customers that included MetroPCS, Interstate Batteries, DFW Airport, HollyFrontier, the Staubach Company, Hunt Petroleum, EXCO Resources, Samson Resources, and many others.

Peter began his technology career as an electrical engineer for Mobil Exploration and Producing Services Incorporated (“MEPSI”) serving as the first Black lead engineer on the worldwide, ocean-going, oil exploration vessel, the TW Nelson. His technology leadership career continued at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Excel Telecommunications, Mobile Systems International, Software Spectrum, First Horizon Home Loans, and First American Real Estate.

As a licensed professional engineer, he holds a BS degree from UT Austin, and an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.

Breaking Hidden Barriers: Peter's Journey in the Shadows of Discrimination

Left to survive on food stamps and church donations, Peter Beasley continued to fight against the racism and discrimination that bankrupted him in the first place. With power players in the technology sector even reaching the American court system and blocking Peter’s ability to sue, his hands are tied. He is forced to tell it all- from racism that got him kicked out of elite Society of Information Management (SIM), to their internal blacklisting of all colored applicants, SIM’s illegal proceedings that caused him to be publicly ridiculed resulting in loss of financial stability, and a tainted legal system. Something’s gotta give.

On November 11, 2022, Mark Taylor, SIM CEO vowed publicly in front of over 200 Black senior IT leaders at IT Senior Management Forum’s “Reboot” S2 Symposium in Austin, Texas that he would meet personally with Peter Beasley to address how Beasley was treated at SIM – before the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements became part of the country’s social conscious. Mark described SIM’s past as “pale, male, and stale.”

But, according to Beasley, Mark Taylor still refuses to meet with Beasley for any level of atonement.

On May 29, 2024, the Major Baseball League rewrote history, acknowledging the contributions of Negro baseball players, now identifying that Josh Gibson is the new Batting Average leader (over Ty Cobb) and Slugging Percentage leader (over Babe Ruth). The MLB cited its obligation “to do the right thing”.

“As Bart Giamatti, former Commissioner of Baseball, once said, ‘We must never lose sight of our history, insofar as it is ugly, never to repeat it, and insofar as it is glorious, to cherish it.’”

Lessons We All Learn

Everyone has a purpose, even if they haven’t found it yet. Often, people are molded into their destinies through tribulations and resulting triumphs if you pay attention.

Attend Peter Beasley’s Tuesday, June 11th presentation and be inspired by simple life lessons that we all can learn:

Although we have difference circumstances, we all have won the birth lottery and have a ticket in the game of life.

Everyone can overcome adversity and trials by learning lessons, often gained through “The Power of No”

At some point in your life, you may be called to lay it all out for a cause or conviction, and you can’t meet that challenge if you remain silent and do not try.

We have more sins of omission than commission, and we each can provide something toward achieving common goals.

Racial equity in tech is achievable by 2030 through leadership, and everyone is a leader.

Do the math to know exactly what we need to achieve the goal of racial equality in tech, and with generative AI, its now easy to do.

This presentation will first “sing to the choir” and touch on the Why to achieve racial equity in tech, which everyone already knows. The devil’s in the details, and we’ll focus on the How. Let’s do it.