DEV Community: Justin E. Samuels

The Open Source World Is About to Get a Surprise 👀

Justin E. Samuels — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:47:27 +0000

Something Big Is Coming to RenderATL This Summer 👀

Every October, Hacktoberfest reminds us of the power of open source. It’s a celebration of collaboration, contribution, and the global community that makes technology possible.

This year, we’re starting Hacktober with something special. At RenderATL, we’ve always believed in honoring the culture-shifters, the builders, and the people who make tech what it is. And now… we’re getting ready to take that belief to the next level.

✨ A new project is coming.
✨ A major announcement is dropping.
✨ And it’s going to change the way we celebrate open source.

But here’s the thing: we’re not revealing it all just yet.

Instead, we’re inviting you to join us live for a special stream, where some incredible voices from the open source world will join me. Together, we’ll pull back the curtain and share what’s next.

📅 When: October 6, 2025 | 9 AM ET
📍 Where: Click Here

This summer at RenderATL, something groundbreaking is on the horizon. And you’ll want to say you were there when it first dropped.

🔗 Join the livestream and be the first to know.

💡 Hint: if you love open source, you’re about to see it celebrated like never before.

RenderATL is Back on Dev.to – And We’re Bringing Big News!

Justin E. Samuels — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 15:37:01 +0000

RenderATL 2025 is where brands meet, deals get made, and the future of tech is built—$30M+ in economic impact proves it.

It’s great to be back on Dev.to! It’s been a minute, but trust me, we’ve been busy. Since we first dropped our RenderATL recap here in 2021, we’ve been building, growing, and shaping the Render community into something bigger and better every year, from 350 to 7k+ attendees in 4 short years! As we gear up for the 2025 conference, I couldn’t think of a better place to reconnect with all of you and share what’s new. This platform has been instrumental in helping us connect with developers and tech professionals from around the world, and we’re excited to re-engage with this amazing community as we prepare for RenderATL 2025 presented by our friends at Zillow.

If you’re new here, welcome! If you’ve been rocking with us for a while, you already know how we do—so let’s dive in.

What is RenderATL?

RenderATL isn’t just a conference—it’s a movement. We’ve taken everything you love about tech conferences and flipped the script to create a one-of-a-kind experience.

It’s where culture meets code, where you can dive deep into tech while also enjoying a festival-like atmosphere full of networking, entertainment, and (of course) some of the best food and vibes in the game. We bring together 7,000+ developers, engineers, tech leaders, and creatives from all over to learn, connect, and build the future.

We’re not just here to talk about tech—we’re here to redefine how we experience it. And in 2025, we’re taking things to the next level with over 100+ speakers, 3 days of tech and culture, and exclusive networking opportunities with top industry leaders.

What’s New in 2025?

At Render, one of our internal mottos is “Surprises > Expectations.” We always meet the high bar our community sets—but we love to throw in some unexpected magic along the way. While we can’t reveal everything just yet, here are some game-changing updates based on your feedback from 2024:

1. A Native Mobile App for Seamless Scheduling & Event Registration

We heard you—keeping up with RenderATL + Atlanta Tech Week was a challenge with so many events happening. That’s why we built a native mobile app (yes, natively developed for iOS and Android—hides from Kotlin & React Native devs). With it, you can:
✅ Customize your schedule
✅ Register for both RenderATL and 150+ community-driven events at Atlanta Tech Week
✅ Stay on top of everything happening at the conference

2. THIS or THAT Talks: Let the Debates Begin

Tech panels can be great—but let’s be real, sometimes they’re just a bunch of people nodding in agreement. Boring.

This year, we’re shaking things up with THIS or THAT Talks—a new stage where tech pros with opposing views go head-to-head. Imagine:
🔥 React vs. Vue
🔥 TypeScript vs. JavaScript
🔥 Middle management vs. No managers
🔥 Tests vs. No tests

It’s all about bringing the energy, tackling real debates, and pushing the community forward. Expect lively discussions, strong opinions, and maybe a little bit of chaos (controlled, of course).

3. More Shade, More Comfort, More Refreshments

The food truck park? Absolute vibes. But we heard you—more shade and more drinks were needed.

This year, we’re partnering with Coke to build covered lounges with plush seating, plenty of refreshments, and chill zones so you can network comfortably. And yes, we’re fixing the water and coffee situation—we hear you! (Starbucks, Dunkin’, hit us up!)

4. VIP & Executive Talks – New Perks, New Stage

We’ve revamped our VIP experience for 2025:
✅ Priority Entry – Get into the conference, workshops, and the rooftop takeover at Ponce City Market earlier than general attendees.
✅ No VIP Lounge – Instead, we’ve lowered VIP ticket prices (starting at $800 on 3/11).
✅ Exclusive Executive Track – In partnership with Intuit, we’re launching an Executive Stage for C-suite and tech leadership talks. Access is for Render partners & approved executive applicants only—reach out to our partnership team if you want in as a company or apply as an attendee for our executive summit access; no additional purchase is necessary as an attendee if you're selected to attend.

5. A.I. Summit & Netlify Mini Conference

Introducing Conference as a Service (CaaS)—where we make Render the meeting place for tech ecosystems to connect and grow.

🚀 Netlify Mini Conference – A dedicated space on the expo floor featuring Netlify’s CEO, CTO, and partners.
🤖 A.I. Summit (6/11) – A full day of AI workshops, talks, demos, and networking as part of Atlanta Tech Week.

6. Free Tickets for Veterans & Those Impacted by Federal Layoffs

We’re committed to giving back. That’s why we’re providing complimentary tickets for veterans, active duty, reserve members, and those impacted by recent federal tech layoffs.

One of our past attendees, a veteran transitioning into the tech industry, shared how RenderATL helped them land a new role through connections made at the conference. Stories like these fuel our mission to make sure every attendee finds the opportunities they need to thrive.

We want to connect you with our hiring partners and the broader tech community so you can expand your network, explore new opportunities, and take your career to the next level. Apply at RenderATL.com/service.

7. Creating a More Inclusive & Engaging Atmosphere

At RenderATL, we believe in creating a welcoming environment where talent feels welcomed. That’s why, in 2025, we’re making the decision not to include alcohol inside the conference venue. We want everyone—regardless of background, beliefs, or personal choices—to feel comfortable and included. Here’s why this matters:

✅ Better networking opportunities – Removing alcohol fosters more meaningful, professional interactions without social pressure.
✅ A more inclusive environment – Ensures that attendees of all backgrounds, including those who abstain from alcohol, feel fully part of the experience.
✅ Increased focus on learning and growth – Keeps the emphasis on engaging discussions, technical innovation, and career-building opportunities.
✅ No more ‘I swear I was networking’ excuses when your boss asks why you’re holding a cocktail at 2 PM.

Why You Should Attend or Sponsor

RenderATL 2025 is more than just another tech conference—it’s where brands meet brands, deals are made, and economic impact happens. Since our inception, Render has helped generate over $30M in brand deals and economic impact, proving that this isn’t just an event—it’s a powerhouse for business growth and collaboration.

✨ Hiring & Recruiting Opportunities – Sponsors gain direct access to top talent, and attendees can connect with companies actively hiring.
✨ Brand Visibility – Companies that partner with RenderATL position themselves as industry leaders in front of thousands of engaged attendees.
✨ Exclusive Networking – From VIP experiences to curated partner events, sponsorship unlocks high-value networking opportunities that turn into real business impact.

RenderATL 2025 is more than just another tech conference—it’s where connections happen, careers accelerate, and brands get in front of the tech audience.

That was a LOT—but we’re just getting started. The energy, the tech, the culture—RenderATL 2025 is shaping up to be the most impactful yet.

If you haven’t already secured your ticket or partnership, now’s the time. Join us and 7,000+ attendees in Atlanta this summer for an experience unlike any other.

🚀 Get your tickets
🔗 Become a sponsor

We’ll see you in ATL.

StayRadical 💜

RenderATL 2023, Loaded

Justin E. Samuels — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 17:22:04 +0000

RenderATL 2023 Day 2 Recap

Hey Everyone,

It has been quite an adventure since I’ve written a love letter to the community, but I wanted to restart doing this by saying THANK YOU! When we started RenderATL in 2019, I couldn’t have ever believed in such a short period that we would become one of the most looked forward to conferences for software engineers. We started RenderATL for and by software engineers with the intent of having the most interactive and cultural experiences within a space that was void of such. But, within that time, something extraordinary happened where we created an impact beyond the conference halls and spilled out into the culturally rich and historic avenues within the City of Atlanta. The result was infectious for our attendees and the city. We created a substantial economic impact for our beloved city while giving our attendees the cultural and technical experiences they needed to make an impact within their organizations.

Along The Journey, We Had To Grow - DRASTICALLY

Along the journey, we overcame COVID-19 as a community to gather at in-person conferences and events again but also created new growing pains associated with scaling our organization, such as venue space and efficiency of our production. We’ve heard the concerns, and I’m happy to announce that we’ve grown to meet expectations. Immediately after RenderATL 2022, our team went into overdrive and began to scout Atlanta for efficient space for RenderATL 2023. I'm happy to announce that our conference for 2023 will be held May 31 - June 2 at The AmericasMart Atlanta, which includes 150k square feet for our attendees to mix, mingle, and even dance without bumping into each other. This is a dramatic increase from our previous space size of 24k square feet; that's like going from 64 bits to now 2 Gigs of memory! Our significant growth in space was also substantial because we’re opening the conference tracks beyond our general front-end software engineering track to now include Web & Mobile Software Engineering, Entrepreneurship & Leadership, Design & CSS, and Product & Project Management. You can expect to hear from the most respected experts in their respective fields, such as Dantley Davis, Ives van Hoorne, Jewel Burks Solomon, Kimberley Bryant, Charlie Gerard, and 100+ more speakers, representing a wide range of topics. We’re proud to say that this is the industry's most technical and culturally diverse lineup of expert speakers.

Free Workshops & Seamless Access

Additionally, we’ve heard the ask of attendees wanting to get more technical hands-on experience, and we’re responding by doing all workshops at RenderATL 2023 FREE for the first 1,000 ticket holders. To make this a seamless experience, our host hotel, The Westin Atlanta, will be home to the workshops conducted on May 31 and has an above-ground tunnel that connects the hotel to our host venue. Our goal this year is to make this a seamless & integrated experience that will bring the community together physically in our occupied spaces.

We've Addressed Pain Points & Giving More Value

Another pain point we’re addressing this year is to have a seamless evening events experience. Our attendees loved how our conference allowed them to explore the various cultures of Atlanta beyond the conference halls. We’re adding even more evening events and an RSVP system to ensure you can access all the experiences you’re looking forward to while in Atlanta. One of the experiences I’m happy to share early is the National Center for Civil & Human Rights Center in Atlanta, home to some of the most historical artifacts of the civil rights movement in the United States. For RenderATL 2023, all conference attendees will have the opportunity to enter & tour the center free of charge. This experience at the National Civil Rights Center is one of the experiences I’m most excited about because it truly embodies the mission of our conference to bring everyone together in a safe and fun environment to exchange experiences and develop stronger cultural and technical relationships.

Thank You

These experiences, space enhancements, and the growth of our team couldn’t have been possible without the support of our community members like yourself for us to become the fastest-growing tech conference in the country. Thank you for supporting us from Day 1 and sticking with us as we grow to meet your expectations. We’re excited about what’s next for RenderATL and the community impact alongside the experiences.

P.S. If you came to RenderATL 2021 or 2022, check your email today for a special thank you from our team

Justin E. Samuels, Founder-CEO.

Render-Atlanta 2021 Recap

Justin E. Samuels — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 18:15:37 +0000

I can't believe that it's over

I know that I could be a little longwinded so I will try to keep this letter short, but I really can't believe that we just pulled off a full-scale software engineering conference since our new normal has began. I know that this wouldn't of been possible without the love, support, and determination of the more than 350 attendees that made their way down the intersecting path of culture and tech in Atlanta for three days. During those three days it dawned on me that we've built something much bigger than what I've envisioned in my earlier letter discussing my vision for the conference, and now encompasses giving everyone a intuitive and vibrant outlet for shared experiences across the technology, specifically engineering, industry. While I was surrounded by many enthusiastic faces, I did feel a sense of "we could do more" to ensure that for our 2022 edition will award more than our previous 70 scholarships, and have 1,200 attendees in Atlanta to help stimulate the local economy further.

Wild Ride

2021 was a wild ride that encompassed a COVID variant, hurricane Ida, and many other unpredictable events that almost caused us to delay the dream of Render-Atlanta for the third time. But with your consistent support and admiration, the dream was only delayed and not denied. We're excited to have recently announced our upcoming 2022 lineup, along with announcing our deeper commitment to intersecting engineering and the culture by adding the Milk & Cookies Music Festival to our week of events. More importantly my team and I can't wait to welcome you back for the festivities that could only happen in "the city that's too busy to hate", Atlanta

2021 Recap Video

View & download your favorite photos below

Click Here

Keeping you COVID free at Render-Atlanta 2021

Justin E. Samuels — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 03:27:45 +0000

The New Normal

"This is our new normal and we must adapt to give our attendees the experience they're expecting of us"

These were the words that I told our team back in January 2021 as we began planning for our big day in September. Our team started discussing "how do we continue to flatten the curve at our conference." with the vaccine now being administered nationally. While we never thought we would have to hear another mask mandate from the CDC, we began to implement policies such as temperature checks, vaccination cards, or PCR tests along with additional COVID precautions to help ease the worries of our attendees. With the rise of the expected COVID variants due to a viruses ability to mutate and adapt to its' environment, we've decided to take an unprecedented for a conference by requiring all attendees to take a rapid COVID test onsite before being able to enter the conference's main event center. By requiring this additional layer of health-security, we're helping to ensure that all attendees will arrive and depart our conference in good health to their families. The Render-Atlanta recipe has always been to have a fun time while being serious about learning new engineering practices, and we're expanding this to our COVID health screen detailed below

The Process

We know that going through a comprehensive health screen is the last thing you want to do before jumping into the fun at our conference, but we're here to make it as painless and fun as possible from start to finish.

On arrival at the conference, each attendee will have to show their ticket, along with proof of vaccination or negative PCR test dated September 11, 2021, or after
Attendees will then be given a swag bag filled with goodies from our sponsors and a pair of KN95 masks for the duration of the conference
Our conference COVID swab workers will then administer the COVID nasal swab rapid test, ready within 15 minutes. To keep it exciting as you wait, you'll have the opportunity to decorate your mask with some branded Render-Atlanta and sponsor goodies, and jam out to some tunes from our conference DJ
If your COVID test comes back negative, you'll be allowed to enter the main conference area! If your result is positive, you won't be able to enter the conference area at this time because we'll automatically move your ticket to Render-Atlanta 2022 at no additional cost.

It is important to note that during this entire COVID screening process that social distancing rules will be in effect to ensure the health and safety of all those pending results. Additionally, everyone will receive either a green or red wristband based on their comfort level of human interaction during the conference. Asking for a red wristband indicates that you're uncomfortable with physical touching but would still interact with air high-fives and virtual fist bumps. Asking for a green wristband demonstrates that you're excited for all the high-fives and physical, social interaction you could muster!Each attendee also receives hand sanitizer to utilize at their pleasure to enjoy our tasty food without worry. You can read our updated comprehensive COVID precautions list on our website including having an onsite licensed nurse and what our venue is doing to ensure your safety.

Thank You

We can't thank the community enough for supporting our efforts to bring more culture into the front-end & React ecosystems. While we do wish that the world was COVID-free by now, we understand that this is our new reality for the foreseeable future. We're hoping that our COVID policies & precautions help ease your fears of attending this September. We can't wait to welcome you to the Peach State this fall, and until then, we'll continue to "Render" new ways to continue enhancing your upcoming experience.

Rebuild Black Business Episode 2, Houston

Justin E. Samuels — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 20:18:40 +0000

Rewatch the show by clicking here

"Isn't Beyoncé from Here?"

Brian Ellison and Marlon Hall of "The Black Man Project"

As I hopped off my flight in Houston's Hobby Airport, I overheard a conversation between a young girl and her mother. Now, it isn't uncommon for folks to be talking about Beyoncé-- after all, she's arguably the world's number one superstar. But it always strikes a chord with me when I see folks who aren't Black, discussing our music. Our culture. Hearing these types of conversations has led many of us to the same conclusion: We are the blueprint. "The culture" has had a huge impact on American idolism, and I had just touched down in one of the many places where that culture has been unapologetically thriving.

Slowed-Down Music, Fast Moving City

Something that really stuck with me about my experience in Houston, especially in the historic Third Ward, was that the focal point of a lot of my conversations were about redefining what it meant to be black, what it meant to be a business owner, and even what it meant to be a man. "History in the dirt" some (like Brian from The Black Man Project) would call it. From renaming "Dowling Street" (which was named after a Confederate commander in the Civil War) to "Emancipation Avenue," a sprawling street that leads to Emancipation Park.

This is a great example of taking back what's ours, and changing the lens through which we look at our history. Often times when we talk about what it's like to be Black, the focus is on our trauma-- what we're subjected to and what we lack, rather than who we are at our cores, what we have, and what that enables us to create. Houston is a place that owns their history, whether it's maintaining historic buildings like the El Dorado Ballroom, or opening the door to having important conversations through things like the Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd mural-- where a QR code can take you on a journey. So, I went looking for the parts of Houston that reminded me that although we may struggle, we can also overcome. We can come together.

"They Are Breath" created by The Black Man Project in partnership with Project Row Houses.

Timepieces, Turkey Legs, Tequila and Two Story Homes

And temp fades. I got to talk to some amazing business owners and patronize some dope spots in Houston. I went to the infamous OST Liquor store-- who went viral a few times for their to-go, pre-made cocktail bags. I ate at Turkey Leg Hutt, where the meat literally fell off the bone. I spoke with Avery Taylor of #ATSoldIt, who is pioneering "buying back the block" like you've never seen. I found out what "Houston hottie, natural body" is all about at The Body Shop HTX, and I got a haircut from one of the best in the game: Ray Johnson. A man who cuts hair for celebrity clients, does FOREX, and still finds ways to give back and uplift his community. Lonez Scents is probably the only way you can smell heaven while on earth, and the craziest part is this list is by no means exhaustive.

The "Remy Ma" courtesy of OST Liquor Store.

What I experienced and what I encourage you all to experience, was a small piece of the rich, cultural fabric that makes Houston such a special place. Houston is an amazing example of redefining our history, making our ancestors proud, and paving new ways to give the Black people we know and love opportunities. And isn't that what Black businesses, and supporting Black businesses is all about?

Airing Schedule

This is a special 3-part event, with episode 1 airing on September 25 at The Black Is Tech Conference, part 2 on October 2nd and part 3 on October 9th on our YouTube channel at 4:30 PM EDT. Be sure to subscribe to our channel and newsletter to remain informed of all our upcoming episodes and events.

To find out more about these businesses I mentioned, as well as some others that I stopped by during my time in Houston, check out some of the links below:

The Black Man Project: https://bit.ly/3kNWXbU
Man Behind The Mirror: https://bit.ly/3kRp8a9
Taylor Made Group: https://bit.ly/3j42lHs
OST Liquor Store: https://bit.ly/3kPVwJY
Screwed Up Records and Tapes: https://bit.ly/307t0vs
ESG of The Screwed Up Click: https://bit.ly/3i6335I
Houston Trend Magazine: https://bit.ly/368s2mS
The Body Shop HTX: https://bit.ly/3mRKENS
Lonez Scents: https://bit.ly/32Zgro3
Joe Black Barbershop: https://bit.ly/303XoqI
Mikos Adams: https://bit.ly/366LW1x

Continue the conversation in our Discord by going to Join.RebuildBlackBusiness.com

Consider becoming a fan of the show to help us continue our efforts by clicking here

Article drafted and copy-edited by Dania Luc

What Are Demo Days?

Justin E. Samuels — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 19:49:58 +0000

What the heck is Demo Days?!

When I decided that Rebuild Black Business would be an open-source project, it was with the intention that it would serve as an avenue to help those participating learn new skills, create new connections, and enhance their communication skills. I understand that in any industry that it is challenging to land your first job without having sufficient exposure (aka experience) to how a real-world business and its' various teams operate. To overcome this challenging hurdle, one would usually have to find an internship or another opportunity within the industry they're looking to apply for such an option, which is typically non-paying. Having been at this cross-roads before where you have to decide between making any money to survive, and the experience needed to land your first job, I didn't want anyone else to go through such a difficult decision. During the rapid design and development of the initial Rebuild Black Business web-app, I was beginning to notice the skills of problem-solving, business requirements collection and team collaboration was beginning to emerge among our participants. Knowing that these are highly desired skills from our recruiting partners (such as Shopify), I knew this could become an opportunity to assist those looking for a chance to interview at companies that are actively recruiting while making an impact to the black-owned business community. I believe that this approach of helping open-source participants could become a norm within the open-source community, especially projects such as ours that are helping to make a positive social impact.

How Does it Work?

To participate in Demo Days it's nothing more than you registering and joining our Discord server, and simply asking "where can I help?". Once inside our group on Discord, you'll have access to our open-source repository, and the other tools to make your experience working on our project a pleasurable and memorable one. We understand that working on an open-source project for the first time can be a daunting challenge. To help alleviate this, we've meticulously labeled our issues according to their level of difficulty and assigned managers to assist you with any questions and guidance you may need (use @TeamLead within the Discord to ping them). Proceeding the big event on September 8, your Team-Leader will take inventory of all the completed issues, and the individuals that completed each task to ensure each participant has a chance to present their completed issue. Please do not fear that an issue may be too small to be discussed, because any created issue has significant impact to the longevity of our project. After presenting your issue to the audience, you'll be able to answer any questions from our recruiting partners that are in attendance, including talent scouts, Directors, and more from their respective organizations. We also understand that it's impossible to have every company in attendance, which is why the event will be restreamed on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, LinkedIn Live, and Facebook to help get as many eyeballs on your work as possible. Ultimately think of this as a way for you to demonstrate your skills, knowledge, and understanding of a topic on something that you contributed on without having to talk about it from paper or a whiteboard in a stressful interview environment.

The Outcome

Our goal with the Demo Days event is to help broadcast to the world the talent, and efforts of those working on our project while showcasing that the Rebuild Black Business web-app is rapidly growing to help meet the needs of the black-owned business community. If I can help someone in need of a new career, or role in the process, or grow their communication and demonstration skills during this, then that's also a win for the impact we're looking to create within the world. I hope to see everyone on September 8, 2020 from 1 to 3 PM EDT at the event, or in our Discord group participating with the remaining issues across our business, design, and engineering teams.

Notes, Contact, & Engagement

There are issues across all of our teams including business, design (graphic art/print), and engineering within our project. Feel free to join and see how you can land your next opportunity with our recruiting partners by participating.

Is your business actively recruiting talent and want to participate in finding new talent, or do you just want to lend us your time or resources to help? Email us!

Engage with us on Social Media:

Participants are allowed to list the Rebuild Black Business company on their LinkedIn profiles as well.

Watch our discovering black-owned businesses docuseries:

YouTube

What is a Black-Owned Business: Episode 1 - Show Notes

Justin E. Samuels — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 15:41:30 +0000

Rewatch the show by clicking here

Why The Focus On Black-Owned Business

The phrase "black-owned" has become and remains synonymous with the ongoing struggle of representation and ownership in entrepreneurial spaces. We often hear this adjective phrase attached to various nouns to indicate to others that the business that they're about to patron was started by those not expected to be in this space. While the concept of a black-owned business is straightforward on paper, many still do not understand why a black-owned business has its' own struggles and victories unique to their operations. I began to notice this discrepancy in understanding after beginning Rebuild Black Business. I was often asked why the focus is only on black-owned and not all businesses facing the COVID crisis. While I do sympathize with all the businesses affected by the ongoing pandemic, I knew that the businesses in our communities would be in need the most, especially after hearing that over 40% of them are expected to NOT survive after the virus's indiscriminate destruction. To help bring the stories of black-owned businesses to life, I decided to hit the road over the next few months with the responsibility of broadcasting their stories to a wider audience to help them thrive, not just survive.

The Physical Touch

Starting our journey in the heart of the south - Atlanta, I wanted to start the series with one of the industries that were hit the hardest during the pandemic, businesses revolving around physical touch. Many were frustrated during the initial quarantine with measures enacted that prevented their routine scheduled grooming and pampering lifestyles. Still, no one understood this even better than the business owners themselves. The two places of business that I decided to begin with were co-located in Atlanta's up-and-coming Grant Park area - The Yizclusive Experience and Atlanta Ink. Both experienced the struggle of not being able to open during COVID due to their inability to provide their core-offerings of either haircuts or tattoos. Being in such a situation, many thought access to financial solutions such as the Payroll Protection Program and similar COVID relief offerings would be a no-brainer, but as Amber from Atlanta Ink explained, those offerings aren't as readily available to those business owners within the black community. The reality of this situation becomes even more dire when paired with the reality that many black-owned business owners aren't usually building from a past legacy of business owners and operators. Without access to a vast network of resources, the solution is usually to rely upon yourself because, as Yisrael Wright explains, you're usually the most successful within your family. Since the reopening, both The Yizclusive Experience and Atlanta Ink have been flushed with new and returning customers, but the future is still uncertain if this trend will continue for them as COVID cases continue to rise, especially within the Southern United States.

Generational Wealth

Having been an individual that understood the opportunity the market would provide due to COVID's ability to disrupt all things considered normal, I wanted to start thinking about how we can use this moment as an opportunity to trampoline the black economic status. I decided to sit down with two of Atlanta's most known financial experts - TK Peterson, Co-Founder and CFO of The Gathering Spot, and Andre Williams, President of Pivotal Wealth Management. During our conversation, a central theme emerged of knowing and understanding the financial lane that you're currently in, along with the opportunities available within that lane. Furthermore, the financial opportunities available are often built on relationships between the entrepreneur and the financial stakeholder, as TK explained - which is where The Gathering Spot exceeds in helping to nurture and mature these relationships. Many often think that you need a few thousand or more to begin investing, but this only creates a defeated mindset that financial wealth and opportunity is available to those who already are financially plunked. Instead, Andre Williams and his firm challenges individuals to create a mindset around using what's available to the individual now within their lane to begin creating passive and active revenue streams over time. Andre explains that this includes becoming more financially aware of the situations that usually forces you to spend such as dining out, taking lavish, and substituting them for ownership opportunities within the companies instead - as an example. Together with the opportunities created from cultivating financial relationships, and small changes in the mindset, I believe that together we can begin creating financial impact for the foreseeable future. You can watch our full financial segment video on my Youtube channel.

The Soul of black-ownership

Just Add Honey Tea Shop in Atlanta, GA

Having visited both the struggles and financial obstacles of black-ownership, I wanted to end the journey on a higher note with a business that has found new growth during the pandemic. I sat down with co-owner Jermail Shelton of Just Add Honey Tea Company in Atlanta - a local black-owned tea house specializing in specialty loose leaf teas. If we're ever allowed again to go outside, visiting their location should be on the top of your things-to-do list when visiting Atlanta, because the free smells inside are amazing. Jermail and I discussed how as a tea company, they were able to expand and scale their business to new heights with new digital offerings such as their parTEA in a box offering, which allows for individuals to experience the art and social nature of tea via Zoom with other likeminded individuals. Having asked Jermail what their biggest ownership challenge faced during COVID was, he expressed that the challenges have only created new opportunities for unexpected growth for him and his wife to provide generational wealth for their children and those to come. Their biggest obstacle now is keeping up with the demand and challenges faced with pivoting a physical company into a digital space, both of which are now being assisted through the Rebuild Black Business professional network of allies.

Where From Here

I understand that there are many other black-owned businesses throughout the United States, and beyond that also could benefit from the exposure of the Rebuild Black Business platform. Throughout the coming months, I'll be visiting other cities and states to do new stories for our documentary series on various black-owned businesses and profiling their journeys and ways you can help them thrive, not just survive. Creating the tools to assist black-owned businesses is also something that the Rebuild Black Business team is passionate about, and understand that through leveraging our vast dataset of more than 14,000 black-owned businesses - more beneficial solutions from others could be made possible. That is why we've decided to open our API to allow others such an opportunity to access, and create unique solutions by visiting api.RebuildBlackBusiness.com. To quote my good friend and Co-Founder of The Gathering Spot Ryan Wilson, "we're all we got," and this is just the beginning of creating and distributing opportunities for our communities.

Swagg Shop, Bonus Footage, Contact

If you loved this content, and would like to see more videos and articles produced, consider supporting my patreon to help cover expenses as we continue and subscribing to my newsletter (free stickers)
The good folks over at Just Add Honey Tea Company is giving all the readers 20% off their teas by using discount code thugdebugger20.
If you want to see how to spike your Just Add Honey tea with Uncle Nearest Whiskey - another black-owned brand - be sure to check out this bonus footage to see how we spike their Georgia Peaches tea blend with Uncle Nearest's 100 proof whiskey
If you would like your black-owned business profiled in the upcoming months, or have a suggested black-owned business that you would like to see profiled, please email me at hello@thugdebugger.dev with more details, and we can begin the conversation
Be sure to visit my website at ThugDebugger.dev to learn more about me, and my other projects including Render-Atlanta; the first black-owned engineering conference happening in the south September 2021 focusing on the intersection of culture and tech with an amazing speaker lineup.
Rebuild Black Business and Shopify host a career fair to help those contributing to open source. Learn more by visiting Jobs.RebuildBlackBusiness.com

Credits

Theme Song: "Uncle Nearest" by Typical Div feat. Kuji Young
Episode Song: "Back End" by Da Menace G
Justin's MUA: Sam Martins
Justin's Shirt: Deja Clift
Recorded by: Eman the Creator

Our Duty, The Decision

Justin E. Samuels — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:59:15 +0000

I'm Sure You're Aware

Map showing the global spread of the coronavirus pandemic

If you've been somewhat connected to the world within the past three months, then you've heard of the ongoing (now pandemic) situation that has engulfed our world, and crippling our daily life among other things. Unlike in the past, this has been an "all hands on deck" public-health crisis for the world to overcome together by everyone doing their part, no matter how big or small. Around the world, we've witnessed many of our beloved conferences, sporting events, and public gatherings postpone, or cancel in the best interest of public health. This is why Render-Atlanta has made the decision to shift our dates from upcoming early May, to late August with the hopes that the virus will be under a more controlled situation by then. We understand that this news will come as a disappointment to some of our attendees, but we have a responsibility to our attendees, sponsors, and public health officials to act in the best interest for everyone.

Atlanta's Local Commitment

Atlanta Hawk - Trae Young

One of the reasons why it has taken us soo long to announce updated dates was because, we wanted to ensure the smoothest transition of those that'll be effected by our announcement. Once the decision was made to postpone, our team went to work rapidly with making the appropriate changes to accommodate our attendees, speakers, and sponsors with updated host hotel room blocks which will honor the same rates as previously noted, and waived change fees for those whom booked airfare using our meeting code through our airline partner Delta Airlines. We understand that this is a stressful time for those whom have placed their trust, and hard-earned money in our hands, and we wanted to help ease such stress for all those that have supported us. Additionally, the city of Atlanta and our various local suppliers was very supportive in accommodating our updated dates, and we wouldn't be able to of done such without their help. Most exciting of all, we were able to re-confirm all of our speakers, workshop conductors, and sponsors for our updated dates, thus ensuring the promised Render-Atlanta cultural experience at our event.

A Community Commitment

Our commitment to the community

We understand that without your support that the tech conference community wouldn't be possible, and that the ongoing change of dates among all conference has really put a hurdle in front of some wanting to experience the benefits of attending a tech conference in person. This is why we're happy to announce that we will be offering a 15% discount on our remaining tickets for all those whom have been effected by a conference that was either delayed or cancelled. To take advantage of this offer, please send your proof-of-purchase of the cancelled/delayed conference to Updates@RenderATL.com. We hope that this offer will brighten up the day of those whom didn't see the possibility of attending a tech conference in 2020 with renewed hope.

Ongoing Commitment - Render-Atlanta

The experience, and entertainment you are expecting to have at Render-Atlanta has not changed with our updated dates. We're still expecting a sold-out conference (~60 tickets remain) with great weather, food, and speakers that will correspond with our cultural, and innovation themes of the conference. In fact, that weekend in Atlanta is even more special because, there will be many sources of family fun and entertainment going on w/ a slew of festivals, sporting events, and more during our eventful summer. Our commitment to our audience remains the same, and we hope that you will still join us in Atlanta this August for a cultural experience never before seen at a tech conference.

Render-Atlanta ticket breakdown

Render-Atlanta Website: Click Here
Render-Atlanta coronavirus information: Click Here

Stand Together

We are strong TOGETHER!

I believe strongly that our communities will be able to stand together to overcome this threat to our modern world. With the ongoing efforts among our governments, corporations, and local individuals, I'm confident that out of this pandemic will come a new sense of unity never seen before among our local and global communities.

Follow Me - Without The Friction & Frustration

Justin E. Samuels — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:03:02 +0000

Your Audience Adores You

The audience wants an encore - more content

You just killed your speaking engagement at the hottest conference in the respective ecosystem, and the audience is clamoring for more similar content from you. Your content is available across various social mediums such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube, which is fantastic because you're now expecting your social media followers'/subscribers' count to raise significantly after today's most-talked about demonstration. Only one problem though, you only indicated one, or none of the social media platforms to follow you on and now the crowd is split between how to follow since only 1/4 of the of the room is on the mentioned platform. In addition to this, only 1/4 of the 1/4 on that platform was able to follow you because they didn't have time to open the app and meticulously type in the given user name because, they were too busy (as they should be) trying to follow along with your presentation.

One Hub To Rule Them All

Link Tree's Admin Interface

Keeping all of your information in one central location for easy retrieval is one of the simplest ways to ensure your content is available effortlessly to your audience. The obvious answer is to make a website for all your information, but this assumes that you have the money, time, and effort to go through this process during your already busy daily lifestyle. One could argue that you could use one of the various site builders available today to mitigate some of the mentioned issues, but this also requires time that you may not have to maintain the site as things change. A viable solution to this are information co-location websites such as Link Tree that is a free resource (with paid options) that will allow you to house all you information on ONE landing page without taking no more than 5 minutes of your time. The process for using their platform is pretty straight forward; you create an account, add a logo or your image, and add links with descriptions. You'll then receive a sharable link for your landing page with all the points of subscription, contact, and more that you chose to share on your Link Tree landing page. While now centralizing your information is great, it doesn't solve the bigger picture of stopping the friction between your audience following you because they still have to break their attention away from your presentation to type in your url.

Justin's - Thug Debugger's Link Tree site used as an example

Everyone Loves Pictures

QR Code Generator Admin Interface

Who doesn't love finishing their presentation, and then seeing on social media all the angles your audience captured during your presentation, along with witty quotes that compliment the their newfound knowledge. Everyone seems to understand that taking pictures is an important aspect of attending a conference, so why not use this known norm to boost your followers/subscribers across your platforms?! The most recognizable way to take a picture with the intent of gathering more information is through the use of QR codes. This usually signals to the the person scanning the code that more information/resources await them on scan of your personalized QR code. A website I use to do this is QR Code Generator which provides an easy to follow QR creation wizard with various options to make your code unique and standout from the crowd. Now with this you can easily provide a unique code on your slides that will link to your central hub for your audience to follow you. Including them on slides (like below) allows now for each glamorous picture taken during your talk to also double as a source for others to follow you without breaking their flow of concentration during your rockstar talk.

Unique QR code embedded into a presentation slide

Bonus: Give It A Name

As mentioned earlier, you probably don't have time for building, and maintaining a website to house all your information. This doesn't rule out the option though of purchasing a domain to also compliment your new central hub. If you are using Link Tree (or similar) you're given a unique URL for your landing page, but this could be hard to remember at times, especially if you want to share it to someone via text. A quick option to mitigate this is to purchase a unique domain name, and just forward all the traffic to your central hub. I use Google Domains for this by having requests to ThugDebugger.dev forwarded to my Link Tree when visited. This helps strengthens your brand awareness by having a unique name that could easily be remembered when someone is discussing, and wanting to access your materials/media before, during, and after your presentation. You can learn how to do this on Google Domains by clicking here for their domain forwarding documentation

Justin's - ThugDebugger Google Domains admin panel showing forwarding of his personal website to his Link Tree

Hopefully these tips help you capture, retain, and increase your audience for upcoming engagements. Both Link Tree, and QR Code Generator provides analytical insights to help you retain your audience engagement beyond the presentation. Always remember to keep the information given quick and concise, so that your audience's attention remains on your presentation without them feeling the friction during the follow.

Justin's - ThugDebugger unique QR code used as an example

Render(Why?)

Justin E. Samuels — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 11:29:00 +0000

Why am I starting a conference in the bustling cultural capital of the south when I just moved here a year ago to the day? Why another tech conference in such an already crowded space of meticulously curated shared experiences? Why, who am I?

To understand why, you have to first understand the current landscape of the industry and how it's not conducive to underrepresented groups and self-expression.

If you haven't saw yet, my name is Justin, and I've been in the industry, and a React developer since 2014. My tenure as a software engineer has taken me down many roads that I never thought I would have to overcome in order to continue my forward progression. In particular, the biggest challenge of all has been remaining true to myself and keeping my true identity in a landscape where many do not look like me. This is not a statement to demonize the majority, but instead to raise awareness on the matter of feeling left out at times in a space where relationships and "who you know" matters. Imagine you're at work, and you hear a joke that you can't even identify with, or may even be offensive to you. Imagine you're at a tech conference, and nobody looks like you so you feel alone, taking away from your experience. Imagine you've received your dream interview, only to realize it could of been due to your physical, not your technical attributes. For many that look like you and I, or come from a protected class of people, this is not an imaginary feeling, but a true reality that we often find ourselves in. Reasons like this is why many of us do not attend tech conferences, so we miss networking opportunities all together; or in the the worst situations, but all so often case, leave the industry altogether.

The name Render-Atlanta can be picked apart into two distinct segments. Render, a method in the React code-base that allows for presentation onto the user's screen, but in our case it represents that freedom to present who you are with no reservations. Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, and the intersection of where all cultures collide in the south, but filled with the most diverse, and untapped talent pool of engineers. When you unify the name, our mission and goals become apparent: The promotion of a diverse talent pool of engineers in a space where they're able to feel welcomed, and have an outlet of judgment free self-expression. All of this ties back to our speaker selection, where each speaker has the opportunity to discuss all things React, Culture & Inclusion, or both!

At Render-Atlanta we never say Diversity & Inclusion, but instead Culture & Inclusion, due to how often the word "diversity" is used as a marketing keyword without any real, or a misguided agenda behind it. We believe that if an organization hires with the intent to learn from another person's culture and background that it will intrinsically create, and attract others of similar backgrounds; while having a positive effect on the organizational structure and processes.

All being said, I believe what we created at Render-Atlanta will assist with changing the landscape of the industry for many future generations of engineers to come. We have many surprises in store for you this upcoming May in Atlanta, and can't wait to reveal more as the date draws near. Our vision is to look into the crowd at our opening ceremony, and see a swell of faces that have decided to create a wave of impact together. Come to Atlanta, come be a part of the wave, you can sit with us, there's no need to hide who you are, we are waiting here for you and will accept you with welcoming, and open arms.

May the fourth be with you, looking forward to seeing you all soon, and don't be afraid to Render(who you are)

Justin [ ThugDebugger] Render(🤴🏾)

www.renderAtl.com

Fixing the past is hard, how ReduxDevTools and Reselect can help

Justin E. Samuels — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:46:04 +0000

"Staying stuck in the past is unhealthy"

Who ever said that staying stuck in the past is unhealthy for you was absolutely right, but sometimes there's things we can learn from the past to improve our future actions (pun intended). If you're familiar with the Redux library and its' methodology then you've probably heard of a term called "time-traveling", but could be unsure of what it means and how it can benefit yourself, your application structure and relation to Redux, along with your overall sanity when it comes to debugging state issues in a Redux store. Let's have a closer look at the tools that exist today, before we visit the past (pun intended - again)

Available Arsenal.

Redux-Logger: Is a middleware available for use with the Redux library that allows actions dispatched to be logged to your favorite browser's console. In addition to printing the actions dispatched, the previous and upcoming states are included. This allows you to see the result of the action dispatched in real time, but does not allow you to manually go back in time and replay such an action to further understand its' effects on your store.
Redux-DevTools: Is a middleware available for use with the Redux library similar to Redux-Logger, but instead provides a intuitive GUI to use that's integrated to your favorite browser. Like Redux-Logger, the actions dispatched to the store are recorded and displayed, but a major benefit is the ability to rewind, skip/fast-forward, stop, pause, and play actions that have occurred in your application. In addition, extra configs can be added to really assist in your debugging efforts such as the trace option that will allow you to see where in your app the action was dispatched from.

I'm sure there's more available logging tools for Redux out there, but these are the two I'm most versed in/seen the most in enterprise applications

Knowing your available tools is most of the battle

So now that we know which tools are available, and their usages regarding Redux logging/debugging, lets dive into one of the topics of discussion; Redux DevTools.
To make this an interactive learning experience I've decided to clone a simple boilerplate that came with React, Redux, ReduxDevTools, and Reselect (more on this later) installed. The repo has a good readme which includes how to get everything up and running, so in an effort to keep this tutorial short, I won't be covering this. Once installed and setup we need to add the Redux-DevTools extension to our favorite browser. You can find instructions on how to do that HERE. If you're using the Chrome or Firefox browsers it's a simple plugin install to get it going, if not, follow the instructions in the previous link to get Redux-DevTools setup. Once installed, go back to your cloned application running (if it's not running start it up) and refresh the page. You should see the Redux-DevTools icon glowing......EXCITING!

Is the Flux Capacitor ready yet?

Patience Marty! Before we get into all the cool time traveling aspects of the extension, lets get a feel for some basics of our new extension. Clicking on the extension's icon for the first time will reveal the the actions that was dispatched to the store and the delta (change) that occurred as a result. If there was a change to the state, you would see it here, but since we just got on the page it will say "states are equal" as seen below. Redux-DevTools GUI

You should notice on the top row of the extension an option to switch the view from "diff" to "action". If you were to switch the view you can now see the action itself which includes the type and payload (if applicable) as seen below.
Redux-DevTools action view The last option that we're covering in this tutorial arguably the most important, the "state" view. Clicking on this view will reveal what the store looks like after being reduced from a dispatched action. As seen below, we now have a bird eye view of how our store looks....NEAT!
Redux-DevTools state view

Can we go save the dinosaurs yet?

Almost Marty, but I have another feature of our new extension to show you that will assist you from going this journey alone (an old man told me that in 86'). If you're anything like me, looking at JSON or raw objects all day can become dizzying. You may of noticed a sub-option in our new extension called "chart". Clicking on the actions options and the chart sub-option will reveal a nicely drawn graph of the action dispatched and it's relationship to the store's state. This is cool, but where it really shines is drawing the relationship between the action dispatched and the future state.

Go ahead and click on the state option and chart sub-option. You should notice the graph drawn includes the different properties available on the store, and how they interconnect. If you were to hover over the individual nodes on the chart, it will allow you to peek at the current state of that particular property in the store.

peek-a-boo, state I see you

If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you gonna see some serious s**t.

Alright Marty, now that you have a quick overview of our tools, you're ready to go to the past to understand how our future is going to look.
Go to the GitHub input box on our application and begin to type in your or your favorite GitHub user's name and hit enter; You should see a list of repos applicable to that name render on the page. Yay, our application is working as expected, but what actions happened, and in what order, and how did this effect the store's state? Open the Redux-DevTools extension, select the "diff" option and "state" sub-option. Once done, hover over the first action in the list and click the word "jump". You should of noticed the rendered repo list was taken away, your state diff looks different, and the slider near the play button has moved towards the left as well! Marty....we're now in the past! From here you can now click the play icon button and watch the diffs of the states appear and their relationship to what's being rendered onto the screen. Another cool thing is that you DONT HAVE TO DO THEM IN ORDER. For example, you can jump to action 1, then jump to action #4 to see the outcome. That's time traveling in a nutshell, the ability to go forwards and backwards in state to see the effects of an action on your store. Hey DJ, bring it back!
Pro-Tip: Remember our "chart" sub-option from earlier? You can time travel with that option selected as well, which will re-draw the chart in real-time as the mutations as occurring during your playback. You can witness this below.
Time Traveling Chart

Woohoo, we successfully time-traveled, but what about ReSelect?

Ah yes, I almost forgot about the ReSelect library and how that can assist us. For brevity I'm going to do a quick overview, and then a more in-depth tutorial in an upcoming post.
First, lets define what the ReSelect library is, and how it works. ReSelect allows you to define functions known as Selectors that uses a concept in Computer Science known as Memoization (Mem-Oh-Ih-Za-shun) which allows us to take advantage of computed values not having to be re-calculated unless there's a significant delta (change) in the expected result. Selectors can be created from other selectors as well, so if a result is dependent or can be derived from another previously created selector, then you can pass it to your new selector to return the upcoming state value. In Redux this is beneficial because we no longer have to view the entire store, when accessing the future state, but instead only pay attention to the specific portion of state that we care about. In addition, this helps with limiting side-effects resulting from state being updated in your store, which would cause a flush of props to your component structure when it probably only cares about a specific part of state. For example, if you had a store such as:
let exampleState = { shop: { taxPercent: 8, items: [ { name: 'apple', value: 1.20 }, { name: 'orange', value: 0.95 }, ] } }
If your component only cared about the taxPercent property on the store, passing the entire state of the store down is useless. Instead, ReSelect would allow you to target and pass only the taxPercent property by doing the following: const taxPercentSelector = state => state.shop.taxPercent
If you were to read this code aloud, it would say "access my the current state of my store object, within the shop property, and return to me only the tax percent property". To put it all together, this would need to go into your connect() HOC's mapStateToProps function Unless this value changes, it will be immediately and readily available in your container/component hierarchy via props for use.
In addition, memoization of computed values are done as described below: ``` const taxSelector = createSelector( subtotalSelector, taxPercentSelector, (subtotal, taxPercent) => subtotal * (taxPercent / 100) )
The above would calculate and return the value of tax on a item based off the value derived from the subtotal and taxPercentage selectors. Notice the createSelector() method that takes in the other selectors - it allows for composability(compose-ability) of values to be computed quickly and only re-computed when there's a delta in the previous result.

Give it a try: You can play around with the selectors available in our boilerplate via the app\containers\HomePage\selectors.js path. Don't be afraid to break them apart, and reconstruct the. to learn more; it's apart of the learning process! All this being said, I highly recommend using ReSelect in your application to cut-down on the amount of props being passed to all your components, which can assist in performance by cutting down on useless renders.
Pro-Tip: Renders should only happen on prop or state changes that are applicable to that particular component's functionality/data integrity

Our future is now looking bright!

While this was a quick overview to get you going with improving your debugging of Redux actions and state, I encourage you to continue expanding your knowledge of the tools and libraries mentioned above to improve your codebase. I also encourage you to do a quick google search for more information/tutorials available on this topic, such as this great tutorial by Onsen UI & Monaca Team covering the Redux-DevTools and time-traveling more in-depth. Thank you for coming back to another, but not last tutorial; feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback for my next tutorial.