Written by: Catherine
I’ve heard a lot of wealthy dudes talk about how easy it is to make it big in the tech sector, simply put some effort into your great idea!
The ludicrousness of these claims for those of us who aren’t already privileged is obvious, so I’m not going to put my effort into demonstrating how flawed they are. Rather, I would like to introduce you to Stephanie Morillo, a Dominican tech advocate from the Bronx, NY. In the following video (well worth your 15 minutes, I promise) Ms. Morillo shares her story, and her recommendations for increasing diversity in the tech industry, at an AlterConf in New York.
Ms. Morillo opens by talking about how the only people working for tech companies in New York from her community are cleaning the buildings, and about how untrue the tech sector Cinderella story is for people of colour from low-income communities. She talks about how the tech industry’s lack of diversity prevents it from reaching valuable markets, and provides suggestions for tech companies to promote interest in STEM in low-income communities, something they should jump on in order to increase diversity.
More tech companies are hiring heads of diversity, but creating these positions can be seen as a band-aid solution to a deep, systemic problem. While many tech companies have made marginal improvements in diversifying the demographics of their employees, the toxic, discriminatory culture of tech companies is still forcing women to leave the industry. My research has turned up many suggestions for how to increase diversity, but by and large tech companies appear to be ignoring people of colour in favour of creating opportunities for white women.
While attempts to promote diversity in tech companies can seem to be more lip service than commitment to improve, there is a brand-new ray of hope in the Facebook-led TechPrep initiative, which aims to increase awareness of tech skills and opportunities in black and hispanic communities. This is a small but important step in the direction Stephanie Morillo is pointing. It acknowledges that its target audience might not have home internet access, and provides printable resources as a solution, but it seems to stop short of providing the equipment low-income youth need access to in order to develop coding skills.
Here’s hoping for more and better initiatives to come.
To learn more about Stephanie Morillo, please visit her website. Click here to learn more about AlterConf.
- Catherine
Catherine you are voice for the masses! I am so glad to read this post which takes a view unlike so many out there. I could not agree more that there is so little representation for certain communities and ethnic backgrounds in the tech world. Unfortunately, there are just so many groups of people who's voices are being drowned out by older, white, privileged, men. It seems as though so few have heard the term or support the term "equal opportunity for all".
ReplyDeleteThese companies seem to be just trying to hire women or these "diversity directors" to appear as though they care or that they are addressing the issue. The problem is, they refuse to even accept that there is an issue. No matter the subject a new perspective is always going to bread learning. If we had more people from a wider range of areas and backgrounds and perspectives, the amount of new ideas would be overwhelming in the best of ways.
I am glad that there seems to be a glimmer of hope and that perhaps these good initiatives can continue to improve and that they will inspire others. We are all so incredibly capable, no matter who you are or where you come from.
Thanks again!
-Sonya Stadus-Soo
The other day I was reading this sign-"Limits are self imposed, Stretch yours!" I know the banner had good intentions; however I could not help but think "What a white, Western, middle class, privileged thought."
ReplyDeleteHow ludicrous that there is this notion " that there just doesn't seem to be much interest in the technology field in Brooklyn". (Or insert lower class neighborhood of your choice here). How can the highly educated upper echelon of society be so obtuse to realize that a persons' occupation is largely determined by the social class they are born into and their circumstances, not their abilities, interests or I.Q.
It is great that there are these programs to eliminate the barrier to access technology.Another barrier people from these communities face is Time. Many lower income people need to work two minimum wage jobs just to get by. This financial stress, in turn, often creates emotional stress on family dynamics.It is very hard to move ahead and pursue one's dreams when you are exerting so much time and energy working desperately just to maintain the base lifestyle that you already have.
There are Haves and Have Nots in this world. I personally believe it is far easier for an individual who is born a Have to remain a Have than it is for a person who is born a Have Not to become a Have.
I think there needs to be emotional and financial support behind any individual who is attempting a change in a brighter direction. It is hopeful that such programs exist headed up by people who have faced similar challenges.
Thank-you for sharing this with us Catherine!
Leanne
Also really enjoyed the sign language component. Ms Morrilo is walking her talk.
"Just work harder!" and "You can do it if you work hard enough!" were always sentiments that fell flat for me after watching my mom work incredibly hard at her construction job, only to be run out of town because she refused to be a sexual object for her boss. The lack of diversity in tech is a symptom of the (hopefully changing) white patriarchy, who are in charge of producing representations of who does what job in media and advertising etc.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is kind of two-fold. There are many people that belong to a variety of diverse groups who wanted to be in a tech job (or publishing, or media, or medicine, etc) when they were young, but they only saw people who weren't like them doing these jobs, so they didn't think that they could do them. As a result, the people who identify with the characters doing those jobs will believe they can do those jobs and then do those jobs and the circle continues.
The second issue is, as Leanne said, it's harder for a Have Not to become a Have than it is for a Have to stay a Have. Many people (not all, of course) who are part of these diverse groups tend to come from socioeconomic statuses that prohibit them from opportunities that would lead them to a tech job, for example. I got into a facebook argument with someone about raising the fast-food wage to $15 an hour because they said that "if people just worked hard enough they could leave those terrible jobs. My husband worked THREE jobs (in the 80s) to support me and our three children while I went to school!" This was baffling to me because well, this woman and her husband were white and able-bodied while many of the people fighting for a raise in wage were not white and they didn't think to take this into consideration. But what also got me was how... intrenched the idea of a "hardworking American" was in them. It was like a badge of pride that her husband never spent time with her or her children for YEARS because he was working so much, and they wouldn't even consider that if his wages were higher he could have just worked one, or maybe even two jobs!