When Grace Wisher, an indentured Black teenager, stitched the Star-Spangled Banner, her hands moved like an algorithm at workâdebugging a system not designed for her survival. Her thread followed a pattern, weaving strength into a flag that waved over a country that had programmed her to be invisible.
 Fast-forward centuries, and the patterns remain. Whether itâs Black women stitching quilts that mapped routes to freedom or Katherine Johnson using equations to defy gravity and racism at NASA, the narrative is clear: we have always recognized patterns others ignored, adapting and creating under duress.
 But what if we stopped patching their broken systems? What if we redirected our ingenuity toward sewing new fabrics of possibility and coding futures that center our liberation?
Sewing and Coding: The Liberation Technologies
 At 39, I taught myself two life-changing things: how to code and how to sew. On the surface, these might seem like disparate skills, but theyâre deeply connected. Both involve pattern recognition, precision, and the courage to create something from nothing. Consider Rosa Parks, whom history often paints as just a tired seamstress. But like the precision in her stitches, her resistance was carefully measured and strategically placed. Before she refused to move on that bus, she had spent years carefully threading movements together at the NAACP. Her seamstress work wasn't separate from her activism - it was part of the same pattern of resistance. She understood that sometimes the strongest statement is a perfectly placed stitch, a carefully chosen moment to say 'no.
Sewing teaches you how to read seams like code, deciphering the intent behind the stitches. Coding, on the other hand, is about building structures that functionâa different kind of garment, one that wraps us in innovation.
Women, particularly Black women in history, have an impeccable ability to detect when things are unraveling. Itâs not just anecdotalâitâs backed by research. Studies show women excel at complex problem-solving and risk assessment, often detecting crises earlier than men. During World War II, as men went off to war, women stepped into factories, classrooms, and hospitals, keeping the machinery of the world running. What if they had chosen not to?
 Today, we face a similar inflection point. The systems around us are fraying: democracy, corporate accountability, climate stability. Yet, once again, weâre being called to âfix it.â But hereâs the truth: when we step in to save broken systems, we delay the inevitable collapse.
The Science of Knowing When to Stop - BlACK WOMEN's History LessonS
In systems theory, thereâs a concept called planned obsolescence. Some systems, like the tech we build, are designed to break down over time. But what happens when the foundational flaws are intentional? When oppression isnât a bug but a feature?
 Research from the field of collective intelligence shows that diverse groupsâespecially those led by womenâmake better decisions under uncertainty. Yet, when Black women are thrust into leadership roles in broken systems, weâre often given âglass cliffâ positions: leadership roles in organizations destined to fail. Itâs a pattern so prevalent itâs almost a scientific law.
So, what if we redirected that energy? Instead of patching, debugging, and maintaining their faulty systems, what if we built parallel ones?
A Blueprint for Liberation - LESSONS FROM BlACK WOMe'S HiSTORY
 Hereâs how we disrupt the cycle:
1. Build Parallel Systems
 Instead of trying to integrate into spaces not built for us, we invest in creating our own. Think mutual aid networks, cooperative tech ventures, and Black-owned platforms for commerce and storytelling.
 2. Invest in Our Code
 Coding bootcamps and STEM programs specifically for Black women arenât just about tech skillsâtheyâre about liberation. Every algorithm we write is a step toward autonomy.
 3. Document Our Protocols
 How many Graces, Katherines, and Fannies have been erased from the history books? Letâs create archives that refuse to let our contributions be forgotten.
4. Secure Our Networks
 Community is infrastructure. By building strong, interconnected networks, we ensure that no one stands alone.
5. Compile New Possibilities
Innovation doesnât come from patching old systemsâit comes from imagining new ones. What if instead of trying to fix corporate DEI programs, we built businesses that didnât require them?
The Threads That Hold Us
When I sit at my sewing machine, I feel connected to Grace Wisher and the millions of women who stitched, quilted, and mended for survival. When I write code, I imagine Katherine Johnson using math to defy gravity. Both acts remind me of the power of creation.
In 2025, with DEI programs under attack and systems unraveling, the message is clear: we cannot sew their flags anymore. But we can create new bannersâones that donât wave over oppression but stand for liberation.
What if, instead of debugging Americaâs broken code, we wrote our own operating systems?
Let them figure out how to fix the systems they built to exclude us. Weâve got patterns to write, codes to compile, and futures to imagine.
Because pattern recognition isnât just about seeing whatâs brokenâitâs about knowing when to walk away and start fresh.
