About 1,000 metro Detroit students took over the Michigan Science Center on Thursday for an event designed to increase Black representation in technology fields.

The youth takeover marked the first day of a three-day Detroit Digital Empowerment Summit hosted by Black Tech Saturdays, a community-led initiative founded by Johnnie and Alexa Turnage in 2023.

"We saw there were youth who needed more programming and support," Johnnie Turnage said.

The event gave students like 6th grader Aaliyah Beecham from Dixon Educational Learning Academy a chance to experience technology beyond the typical school day.

"I like being here, it's really fun," Beecham said. "It gives me more experience with technology."

The Turnages launched Black Tech Saturdays after hearing a discouraging narrative about D

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