Jacqueline Harper: “Shining Star”

Stayin' Alive in Tech

Jacqueline Harper has a story that is rarely told and exactly the kind that we’re trying to bring to light with this podcast. As one of the first black female programmers, her career goes back further than most of our guests. At her job in the IBM typing pool in the 1960s, she was asked to go home when she became pregnant with her first child. Eventually, she went back to work and pushed herself to learn programming while also raising her family. Jacqueline talks about the programming languages used decades ago, sifting through hexadecimal code, and what it was like when laptops entered the market.

She also brings her passion to a new project in the Hudson Valley in New York, excavating the artifacts of freed slaves and reconstructing what their lives were like—she just doesn’t slow down!

Listen to this remarkable story of perseverance and pursuit from a perspective we don’t hear often enough.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Chronological History of IBM (1970s)
• More about Jacqueline’s current work to excavate artifacts from freed slaves: Poughkeepsie Journal article: “Slavery's hidden history in the mid-Hudson Valley coming to light”
• The Archaeological Conservancy: Locals Dispute Over Guinea Community Artifacts
• The earliest core dumps were paper printouts of the contents of memory, typically arranged in columns of octal or hexadecimal numbers (a "hex dump"). [Wikipedia]
• I am Not Your Negro, by James Baldwin; and Official Trailer for I am Not Your Negro Film

MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY:

"Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Timeshare CMO, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco.

We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.