Love, RUNWAY: Technology as a Force for Liberation by Jeanine Lee
LOVE, RUNWAY is an ongoing series of original written works by members of the RUNWAY team to remind ourselves and each other of the love we share for our work, our communities, and our people. To continue developing the muscle of reimagining what the world would look like if the economy loved Black people we write love letters to different points in humanity's timeline. We hope these stories will help others connect with our purpose and showcase the richly textured humans behind our work.
As a queer Black woman technologist, I feel an acute sense of awareness that the tech systems we engage with every day, on every screen, were never designed for us. These systems most often aim to extract, exploit, and silence us rather than uplift, empower, and free us.
Algorithmic biases in AI determine who gets hired, who receives a loan, and who is deemed a threat. Surveillance tools disproportionately target Black, Indigenous, and queer/trans communities. Big tech platforms siphon data and labor from Black creators while deprioritizing their content. Financial technologies and digital banking services operate under the false assumption that all users have equal access to credit and capital, disregarding the systemic barriers that have long locked Black entrepreneurs out of wealth-building opportunities.
It is this awareness that fuels my commitment to reimagine technology as a force for liberation. Technology is not a neutral tool but an agent for change. For me, that means my work here at RUNWAY is more than technical; it feels more personal.
I didn’t begin my career in tech and IT. My early career began as a mechanical engineer before becoming an entrepreneur, publishing a quarterly magazine that wove together stories on the intersections of art, music, and early 2000s street culture. At the time, I watched the digital print world take over while print media struggled to adapt. This time, I pivoted into the startups and tech—first as an accountant and controller for startups, and now in tech and IT roles.
For over a decade, I worked with entrepreneurs who had secured millions in funding—$5M, $10M, $45M—and I built systems to help them scale. At that time, there was one burning question that continuously resurfaced: Where is the investment in Black people? Don’t get me wrong, during this time, I worked with a few Black founders, but the question still burned, and they were the exception. I left that world in 2023, but that burning question never left me. Actually, it is what became the foundation of my vision for a liberated future–a future where technology and liberation meet, where Black entrepreneurs feel a sense of belonging and have access to capital without barriers, and where their unique vision is cherished and long-term growth is nurtured.
When the opportunity to work at RUNWAY emerged–a place committed to reimagining an economy that truly loves Black people–a new journey for me began. I see technology as one aspect of the backbone of this liberated future–a key driver in community access, care, and action. My role is to ensure the systems we implement and the tools we deploy align with the mission to center Black entrepreneurs and dismantle the barriers they face daily.
Liberatory tech means designing systems that are adaptable rather than rigid. The tools we use must evolve with us, allowing for repair and flexibility as we shift strategies and respond to the changing needs of our community. Whether that’s setting up a knowledge-sharing database that makes institutional wisdom accessible across teams or implementing secure communication channels that center data sovereignty, my role is to ensure that technology serves as a bridge, not a barrier, to liberation.
To me, this work goes beyond managing tech infrastructure or implementing best practices. It’s about imagining what Black liberation looks like in a tech-enabled future and building solutions with care, intention, and love. How can these systems repair as opposed to extract? How do we create tools that empower Black entrepreneurs to thrive in a system that clearly wasn’t built for them? And how do we protect our labor and the work we have built together? This is my contribution to the movement–to the ancestors who dreamed of a better world and the future generations who will inherit the systems we build today.
All of the small, unseen actions that build the foundation for justice and liberation are acts of quiet revolution in a loud room. Here’s to the daily work that shapes movements and to the liberated future we’re creating together.
In Community,
Lee
Jeanine Lee Also known as Lee (all pronouns) is a technologist and creative, with a background that spans engineering, writing and poetry, photography, and finance.
