Coded by Kids

Priscilla Bell Lamberty’s mural Coded By Kids explores the world of possibilities technology education can open up for young people, connecting the history of computing with the current tech landscape. It is located at Smith Playground in South Philadelphia. This design is the result of collaboration with Coded By Kids representatives. A teen works at a computer. The 1’s and 0’s in the background represent binary code, one of the first and most basic programming languages still used by computers today. In the top right is an image of one of the most important persons in the history of computers, Mary Jackson, who was a mathematician. Jackson and her colleagues were deemed “human computers” who helped develop NASA’s space program. Computer coding at the time was considered “a woman’s job”.

The organization Coded By Kids seeks to help close the racial wealth gap by providing tech education programs to children and teens from underrepresented groups. The Restorative Justice Guild assisted the artist with painting contributions from the Women’s Reentry Program and installation assistance from the Rec Crew group.