I've volunteered at a few NYC BGC events, and can confirm that sometimes girls bring a non-black friend, so it's definitely ok.
Isn't this line of thinking sort of excusing the thing that the very program is supposed to address though?
More concretely, the need for this program is described as a welcoming environment for black girls to get into STEM, because black girls are discouraged being that they are "outsiders".
Why would a white girl not feel like an "outsider" as a program specifically for black girls?
As a minority in the country I was born in, I know what it means to feel like an outsider my whole life. It's fine for a kid to learn what it feels like to be an outsider for once in her life, it builds empathy.
I don't think that's the case. Quoting from a description of one event hosted by Black Girls Code:
>Who can participate in the hackathon?
>The Hackathon is open to girls of all experience levels. All are welcome and encouraged to register, whether a participant has previous coding exposure or is new to coding and app development!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bgc-and-nike-virtual-hackathon-...
If your daughter wants to go with her friend, I don't think the staff at the event would mind. Heck, they might love it to know a little girl in their target demographic had a coding buddy.
>I'd prefer kids were taught that they can try anything they dam well please. They just need to try.
They should also be taught that, but they're only human like the rest of us. Discouragement is often irrational, but that doesn't make it irrelevant.