Building Community in Tech with Elizabeth Stock

Hello everyone, it's Tony again, hey listen, 0:04 we have a wonderful guest this session. 0:08 And she is experienced nonprofit leader and the executive director of PDXWIT. 0:12 Her work is centered on distributing systems and 0:19 technology, an equitable future for humanity. 0:23 Through advocacy, mentorship and scholarships, 0:27 PDXWIT is advancing the careers of women, non-binary and 0:31 underrepresented people in tech. 0:36 Y'all welcome to the stage Elizabeth Stock. 0:39 >> All right, thank you Dr. Joe Sato, 0:41 hi everybody I'm Elizabeth really excited to be here today. 0:44 I am going to make sure I'm ready to share my screen here, 0:49 all right, so good morning everyone. 0:54 As Dr. Joe Sato said, I'm Elizabeth Stock, my pronouns are she her. 0:58 And just gonna pop over the chat looks like people can hear me, see me, okay, 1:01 great. 1:06 So I'm really grateful to Treehouse for asking me to speak. 1:07 And at first, I have to admit I was a little bit hesitant, 1:10 as my background is in nonprofit work and community organizing and social justice. 1:14 So I thought, why would a bunch of technologists want to hear from me? 1:20 But then I realized what a unique opportunity this is, the opportunity to 1:25 connect with people who are about to blaze a serious trail in the tech industry. 1:30 An industry that is no big deal, shaping the future of humanity. 1:35 So you all have the power to change the world, and 1:39 I am not gonna pass up an opportunity to connect with you. 1:42 So technologists, in my opinion, need to know how critically important it 1:46 is to have a strong network and community, if we wanna survive this industry. 1:51 Especially if you don't look like, sound like or 1:56 think like the typical individual who's dominating this industry. 2:00 We can all play a role in building a strong and 2:05 equitable community, but we have to stick together and 2:07 elevate one and other, and I'm here to talk about how we can actually do that. 2:11 You can take this information to your own tech community, and 2:15 hopefully apply it in a way that works for you. 2:19 So I'm gonna go ahead and 2:22 share my screen now, hold tight, okay. 2:26 [SOUND] Okay, share, here I go, here it is, 2:33 share, bear with me for my notes for a minute. 2:38 Present, all right, hopefully we're good, 2:42 can you all see my screen? 2:48 Okay, got to find my notes, here they are, okay, so 2:50 I'm here to talk about building community in tech today. 2:56 And the full name of my talk which is not listed here on this slide, 3:01 really should be. 3:06 Building Community in Tech means calling myself out on my shit, and 3:08 feeling okay when other people call me out on my shit. 3:13 But I wasn't feeling like that would look very good in the marketing materials for 3:16 this conference. 3:20 So I just shortened it a little bit, but 3:21 that's really what I'm gonna be talking about. 3:23 And a quick note, I'm supposed to say here, go ahead and maximize the slides so 3:25 that they're big and I'm small. 3:29 I'll give you a second to do that, so here's my plan for today. 3:31 I'll probably talk for about 30 to 35 minutes, and then I'll leave time for 3:36 questions and discussion. 3:40 I'll be sharing some personal stories and 3:42 somewhat embarrassing truths about my own journey. 3:44 And this is from childhood, all the way up to some very recent 3:48 examples of my own white fragility bubbling up. 3:52 And I'll leave you with three simple but not so easy steps we can all take 3:55 to build and participate in community that fosters and advances inclusion in tech. 4:01 Disclaimer, some of what I say today is gonna be challenging for some, 4:07 as we're gonna talk about some really difficult and often taboo topics. 4:12 So I wanna be sure that people take care of themselves as we move through this 4:17 presentation. 4:22 I also wanna mention that I'm in the basement of my house, 4:23 pandemic life, we're all here together. 4:27 The door is locked, but my kids are here and they're getting smarter. 4:30 So I'm crossing my fingers that they won't try to break in, or pick the lock, 4:35 but I cannot make any promises. 4:40 So before I dive in though, I want to ground us in some terminology and 4:42 acronyms that I'll be throwing around. 4:47 I'm sure many of these are familiar to all, but 4:50 just in case I want to cover a couple. 4:52 So first off, I will use B-I-P-O-C or BIPOC, this stands for Black, 4:55 Indigenous, and People of Color. 4:59 The reason that I use this abbreviation instead of people of color, for 5:02 example, is to center and give clear visibility to those who have, 5:07 particularly in this country, banned, systematically abused and oppressed. 5:11 I also wanna make a note here that if I'm specifically talking about 5:17 a particular group, then I'll say that. 5:22 For example, if I want to talk about the Latin x community, 5:24 I will say Latin x, I'm not gonna say people of color. 5:28 Grouping or BIPOC, so in my view, grouping all races 5:32 that aren't white into one singular term is a form of 5:37 colonialism in Eurasia and I'm trying to avoid that. 5:42 Second, I will use GNC, this stands for gender non-conforming. 5:47 So folks whose gender doesn't fall into conventional mainstream definitions, 5:52 nonbinary folks fall into this category. 5:58 And lastly, you'll see some Es, some Ds, some Is some D & Is, these stands for 6:01 equity, diversity, and inclusion, or diversity and inclusion. 6:07 When I'm discussing these terms, I'm gonna try not to lead with the word diversity. 6:13 It is a popular word, but it's also a meaningless word if it's 6:19 not coupled with equity, inclusion and justice. 6:24 So having that letter be the first in an acronym or the first word you say 6:28 when you're talking about issues of inclusion, feels wrong to me. 6:32 Having said that, it's a pretty go to word, so as I'm citing different sources, 6:37 they may use that word first, but I will mirror my language to reflect that. 6:43 And I wanna share a bit about myself before we get started, 6:48 I'm Elizabeth, I mentioned that, I'm white. 6:53 I am cisgender, so my biological sex matches 6:57 the gender in my heart, in my head and my soul. 7:01 I'm a mom to two boys, who hopefully won't break in, I have two dads. 7:06 I am able bodied, and I have a lot of unearned privilege, 7:16 you can see it on this list. 7:21 And there's a lot I didn't mention, a lot a lot, I'm kind of dripping with it. 7:23 So let's talk about unearned privilege, this captures 7:29 the advantages people have simply because of the way they were born or 7:33 the context or family they were born into. 7:38 For example, I was born with white skin, so 7:41 I have privileges associated with being white. 7:44 Having white skin doesn't automatically make my life easy, but it is certainly 7:47 not a factor that makes my life more difficult, that's unearned privilege. 7:53 So some examples of my own on unearned privilege, 7:58 my first job at the age of two was due to unearned privilege. 8:02 The reason I had the opportunity for that job, was because I had a certain look. 8:07 This is the look, and on every job, whether it was a commercial set or 8:13 a TV show, I was surrounded by people with white skin. 8:18 The other actors, the directors, the crew, the onset teachers, 8:22 if I was in an ensemble cast, there were likely a bunch of white kids. 8:27 And perhaps one black kid, or one Latin x kid, 8:32 or a kid in a wheelchair, maybe. 8:37 But definitely not all of those identities at once, and 8:40 certainly no intersectionality of identity. 8:44 So, my chances of booking work were exponentially greater than 8:47 actors who didn't look like me, this was unearned privilege. 8:52 And today 30 years later, I sit in a position of influence, 8:56 running an organization that I was qualified to run in part because of 9:01 the education that I had as an actor growing up. 9:05 Not because I was particularly talented, but 9:09 because people like me were on TV, and I had a certain look. 9:12 There's improvement in that industry, but 9:17 that's not what I'm here to talk about today. 9:19 So back to some other examples of my unearned privilege, I can shop and 9:21 not be followed or monitored closely by security or other customers. 9:26 Honestly, I could probably steal and not be noticed. 9:31 Similarly, I can stencil black lives matter on my front steps without 9:35 passers by harassing me or accusing me of defacing public property. 9:40 I can safely ask someone to leash their dog without the potential of being harmed. 9:46 This next one is somewhat Portland specific, and I know this is a national or 9:53 international audience, but it's worth mentioning. 9:58 That I can almost always expect whiteness to be the most represented space in 10:02 any public space I'm in here in Portland. 10:07 And so that's some information about me, my unearned privilege. 10:12 But another big thing to know about me is that I run an organisation based here 10:16 in Portland. 10:20 We're called PDXWIT, or Portland Women in Tech, or 10:20 PDX Women in Tech, we'll answer to all of those. 10:24 Our mission is to empower women, non-binary, and 10:27 underrepresented people to join and stay in tech. 10:31 And I'll share a little bit more about PDXWIT. 10:35 But first, 10:38 I think it's important to tell you about why we need an organization like PDXWIT. 10:39 So if technology affects everyone in some way, which it does, 10:45 shouldn't it also reflect and consider everyone as it's being iterated, 10:50 and developed, and perfected? 10:56 Well, it doesn't. 10:58 And yes, some progress has been made. 11:00 But there's not nearly enough diverse representation among 11:03 those who are defining and creating technology. 11:08 Folks from diverse backgrounds who are currently working in the industry aren't 11:12 feeling like their companies' EDI initiatives are effective. 11:16 So even if they're working in the industry, 11:20 they're lacking a sense of belonging and inclusion. 11:22 And that leads to dismal retention rates. 11:26 Here's some data to back up what I'm saying. 11:29 So every year, PDXWIT does a survey where we collect data to understand 11:32 the experiences of people in the tech industry across the country. 11:37 We just closed our 2020 survey last week. 11:42 So the most recent data set we can look at was from last year, 11:45 but it certainly is still relevant. 11:48 We had about 5000 responses. 11:50 And we were aiming, like I said, I don't know if I said this, but we were 11:52 hoping to look into the articulated culture that a lot of tech companies may 11:58 have around diversity and inclusion versus the experienced or expressed culture. 12:03 So we know tech companies talk a big game when it comes to how 12:09 much they value diversity and inclusion. 12:13 Yet the representation, especially as we move up the leadership ladder, 12:16 is simply not expressing that value. 12:21 It's being articulated, but not expressed. 12:23 We also wanted to be sure to see where disparities may exist between 12:26 the perspectives of white and cisgender people versus BIPOC or 12:32 gender non-conforming individuals. 12:36 Spoiler alert, there were major differences in perception. 12:40 So the first question was, that we're gonna look out today, 12:45 was does your employer talk about diversity and inclusion as a priority? 12:48 So in gray here we have white and cisgender men and women, 12:52 in orange we have BIPOC and transgender, non-conforming respondents. 12:56 You can see here that of the white and cisgender men and 13:02 women surveyed 50% or more, up to 63% in the case of white women, 13:06 believe their employer talks about diversity and inclusion as a priority. 13:11 Only 30% of BIPOC, or trans, or 13:16 gender non-conforming individuals responded yes to that same question. 13:19 It's a pretty big difference. 13:25 Similar story when it comes to whether respondents felt like their company is 13:27 authentically taking steps to prioritize diversity and inclusion. 13:31 Again, are these companies articulating a certain stance and 13:35 authentically taking steps to make it happen? 13:39 Once again, over 50% of the cis and 13:42 white respondents said yes, while far less than 50% of BIPOC, 13:45 or gender non-conforming, or trans folks did. 13:51 So oops, [LAUGH] you might wanna see that. 13:55 There's certainly something breaking down here, and 13:58 we will come back to this data point. 14:01 But I also wanted to share some qualitative data that sums up what 14:03 might be going on in the tech industry. 14:07 So we had an open field in our survey for 14:09 the question of what is one thing that you wish would stop in this industry. 14:12 These responses speak for themselves, but 14:17 I'll read them anyway in case you have me on in the background. 14:19 The sense that now that I'm here, a queer Latina, 14:23 our team as a whole is diverse and our work there is done. 14:27 I sometimes feel tokenized or like others are using me as a shield. 14:31 I'm tired of being the only black person in the room. 14:37 People need to stop asking me where I'm really from. 14:43 So back to this data point. 14:48 Companies very well may be trying to create diverse and inclusive environments, 14:50 but their initiatives are clearly not resonating with individuals who 14:55 are the most underrepresented in this industry. 15:00 One theory on this, perhaps actions and 15:03 initiatives around diversity are coming from the top. 15:06 And remind me, who is overwhelmingly at the top of tech companies? 15:10 Yeah, white and cisgender people. 15:16 So I am glad that white and cisgender people are happy with their 15:19 own efforts around inclusion and diversity. 15:24 But really, 15:28 what is the point of these efforts if they're only pleasing dominant groups? 15:29 And let me make something very clear before I move on. 15:35 I'm not suggesting that these company leaders see this data and 15:38 go to their BIPOC, or trans, or gender non-conforming, assuming 15:43 they at least have some, employees for guidance on how to do better. 15:48 I have yet to see a job description that says, if you're from an underrepresented 15:54 group in tech, you will also be expected to educate the white employees at this 15:59 company on what we should be doing about equity, and diversity, and inclusion. 16:03 So if you're not writing this into your job description, 16:09 that means you are not paying for this labor. 16:12 And it is labor, do not expect this to come for free. 16:15 If you wanna have optional focus groups within your company or have your BIPOC, 16:19 or trans, or gender non-conforming employees give you feedback, 16:24 you need to pay for this, and it needs to be optional. 16:29 And you need to pay well. 16:32 I would recommend starting in at least $300 an hour, but that would be a deal. 16:34 So back to PDXWIT, the organization I help run, and why we're here and what we do. 16:40 I'm not gonna read through all this, hopefully it sorta speaks for itself. 16:46 This isn't meant to be a commercial for my organization, 16:50 although you're welcome to join us. 16:53 But our hope, through our programming, is that we're filling a gap, 16:55 creating community, and supporting individuals who are trying to break into 17:00 this industry or trying to stay in this industry once they find a job. 17:05 We're also supporting companies in doing better when it comes to equity, diversity, 17:09 and inclusion. 17:14 Through our programming, we're filling some gaps. 17:15 But it's our ultimate hope that an organization like ours would be 17:18 unnecessary. 17:22 We know we have a long way to go, though. 17:23 And if you're not already, become a member. 17:25 It's free, we're not a typical professional organization. 17:27 Membership basically just means you come to our events sometimes, or 17:30 read our newsletter, or pop into our Slack. 17:35 We're here, there's no barriers to entry, and I'll share more links later. 17:37 And here's our rad team. 17:44 So the top row's our staff team and the bottom row's our amazing board. 17:45 We also have over 100 active volunteers who help advance our mission, 17:49 and we were all volunteer-run just until a couple years ago. 17:54 As an organization, we often get asked 17:58 by tech companies who are struggling to build diverse teams for help. 18:01 Our first question to these company leaders is, 18:06 what is your current leadership makeup? 18:09 Show us your numbers. 18:12 Unsurprisingly, these leadership teams are almost always white, 18:14 and almost always white men of a particular age range. 18:19 So when we're asked that question, we let companies know that there's not a quick 18:22 and easy fix when it comes to creating rich and 18:27 diverse teams that foster inclusion and belonging. 18:29 It goes way beyond the annual diversity trainings, 18:32 or special logos, or statements. 18:36 PDXWIT team did not always look like this. 18:39 And it took intention, authenticity, and vulnerability on the part of our board 18:42 to assemble a team that truly mirrors our community and demonstrates our values. 18:47 So as a white person doing my best to lead this organization and 18:54 advance inclusion in a space that is historically and 18:59 presently not great at it, I've learned a few things. 19:02 I have so much more to learn. 19:06 So I figured, as I learn, I should start sharing some of this. 19:08 So first, it's important for me to know when to show up and when to stand down. 19:13 Second, there is no end point, 19:20 no goalposts signifying our arrival at a more equitable world. 19:23 This work is ongoing and eve-revolving as we peel back the layers and 19:28 learn more about ourselves and each other. 19:33 This is not a skill you master, it's not a boxy check, it's forever. 19:36 Lastly, it's important to know that if it feels really good, 19:44 I'm probably fucking it up. 19:49 Any warm, fuzzy feelings I start to feel are likely a sign that my activities 19:51 are benefiting me more than the cause I'm working towards. 19:56 Sorry to say it, but advancing justice and 20:00 equity should be uncomfortable for white and privileged people. 20:03 We've been comfortable for a very long time. 20:08 Once a white person starts to see the injustice around them, 20:11 it's easy to go to a place of guilt and shame. 20:15 But neither of those things are typically productive. 20:19 And they also make it about you and your ego. 20:22 So instead, acknowledge your privilege and think about ways you can leverage it. 20:26 And I'll share some examples. 20:31 But also, you've probably recently heard about 20:32 performance allyship or optical allyship. 20:37 And I wanna touch on that for a minute. 20:41 So Latham Thomas coined the term optical allyship in May of 2020. 20:43 But the concept is something that's been explored for a while. 20:49 Thomas defines it as allyship that only serves at the surface level to 20:52 platform the ally. 20:57 It makes the statement but does not go beneath the surface and 20:59 is not aimed at breaking away from the systems of power that oppress. 21:02 Acts of optical allyship may include social media posts or alarm signs. 21:06 And it's not that these activities aren't okay, they are okay, but 21:13 they cannot be the only way we show up. 21:17 Ally, if we wanna use that term, and I'm using air quotes, 21:20 must be willing to become uncomfortable. 21:24 Because their discomfort is a sign that they're privilege is shifting, 21:27 making space for others to have access to spaces and 21:32 opportunities that BIPOC may have historically lacked access to. 21:35 I read something yesterday that said, that a black woman posted on Instagram, and 21:39 it said, being black is not the barrier, white supremacy is the barrier. 21:44 And that really stuck with me. 21:48 And as white people, we need to step aside and be aware that we 21:50 are creating barriers just by being in a space, taking up that space. 21:54 So how many of you saw something like this over the last couple months? 21:59 This is a template that many organizations use to show their support for BLM. 22:07 Many did this and then went back to business as usual, 22:15 never said another thing, never did another thing. 22:20 This is a prime example of optical allyship. 22:24 So in my personal quest towards non-optical allyship, 22:33 I have been using three rules of thumb. 22:37 And this is not meant to be a complete list by any stretch. 22:39 And I also wanna dig into the term ally for a minute. 22:42 It is inherently passive and does not guarantee action all the time. 22:45 A person can decide when they wanna be an ally and when they don't. 22:50 So what we often see with allies is that when things become uncomfortable or 22:54 start to risk the ally's position and power, 22:59 they remove themselves from the situation. 23:03 And I've really appreciated the term accomplice as an alternative. 23:06 It demonstrates a commitment to long-term ongoing engagement, 23:10 even if that means the accomplice is gonna lose some privilege and some power. 23:14 This is the type of involvement, and intervention, and 23:19 behavior that can actually contribute to long-term change. 23:23 So here are my three rules of thumb. 23:27 And again, this is not meant to be a complete list. 23:29 Move aside, practice humility, and create dedicated spaces. 23:35 All right, so an example of moving aside. 23:43 Earlier this year, I was asked to join a panel on diversity and 23:46 inclusion at a large tech company headquartered in Portland. 23:50 I was excited about the opportunity and I felt equipped to talk about the subject. 23:54 Before I committed, I asked the organizer of the panel who the other speakers were. 23:58 And I wanted to just get a sense of who else would be there, and 24:03 I wanted to know if there was gonna be diverse representation on the panel. 24:07 The person organizing the panel told me they were really excited 24:11 about the diversity because so far it was all women. 24:15 I probed further and eventually learned that it was all white women. 24:19 This organizer was doing what a lot of white people do, which is looking at 24:24 whiteness as the default rather than saying it out loud specifically. 24:29 She was also implying that a group of white women would, 24:34 being on a panel, would lead to a rich discussion about diversity. 24:38 So at that point, I decided I would not be participating as a panelist. 24:44 But I wanted to use the opportunity to nominate my incredible colleague, 24:49 a Filipina woman who's a member of the LGBTQ community, to participate instead. 24:54 Not only would this add a level of legitimacy to the panel being organized, 24:59 but it would add far more, but 25:04 she would add far more to the discussion than I ever could. 25:06 And it was a bit of a loss for me, I do love being on panels or speaking, 25:10 but it was a tangible way for me to move aside and create space. 25:16 So as for practicing humility, I have a visual to go with this lesson. 25:21 This was the graphic that PDXWIT released on our Facebook page soon 25:28 after awarding our last round of scholarship funds, just about a month ago. 25:32 I'm wondering if you notice anything about this graphic. 25:37 It's problematic, and I wish I had been the first to notice. 25:43 But I didn't, and I wasn't. 25:47 It took someone reaching out to our Facebook page, 25:50 pointing out that the two white-passing recipients were on the top of 25:53 the graphic stacked above the BIPOC recipients. 25:58 The person who reached out with this feedback is a black woman 26:02 named Kyoshi Owens, and she knows I'm sharing this example today. 26:06 When I initially read this message from her, 26:10 my first reaction was to feel very defensive. 26:14 I wanted to immediately tell her that it was just one of several different 26:18 versions of the graphic, and we had to resize and reorient the photos for 26:22 different social media platforms. 26:27 And I wanted to tell her that the white-passing individuals pictured had 26:30 broken down barriers and experienced their own inequities. 26:34 And I wanted to feel better about myself and about the organisation. 26:37 But instead of doing that, instead of whitesplaining, 26:44 my mistake, I paused and I really considered the feedback. 26:49 And I decided to see it as an opportunity to demonstrate humility 26:54 on the part of our organization and myself. 26:59 My instant white fragility almost blocked me from doing that. 27:02 I wanted to explain it away, I wanted to prove myself as one of the good ones. 27:08 But I should have caught this before it published. 27:13 And to be honest, I am surprised I didn't. 27:17 But it's a reminder that I still have massive blind spots, 27:20 and that if I'm gonna do this work, 27:25 I have to be open to criticism, and feedback, and discomfort. 27:28 So yeah, it was a big lesson for me. 27:34 Growth is uncomfortable, and it doesn't have to feel good. 27:37 And as I mentioned earlier, if it does feel good, and if it feels warm and fuzzy, 27:40 I'm probably fucking it up, because it's performative and ego-driven. 27:46 So lastly, remember, I wanted to talk about creating dedicated spaces. 27:52 So earlier I was talking about some of my unearned privilege, 27:57 specifically here in Portland. 28:01 I shared that I could pretty much guarantee that any space I go into, 28:03 whether it's a restaurant, or a tech meetup, or a movie theater, 28:07 white people will be the majority. 28:11 I realize this is Portland-specific, but even in cities that are more 28:14 racially diverse than Portland, it is critical that spaces exist for 28:19 BIPOC only, for black women, for LGBTQ folks, for trans men. 28:24 These exclusive spaces need to exist. 28:29 And to convey the importance of exclusive spaces for BIPOC, 28:32 I wanna cite Kelsey Blackwell, a black woman who wrote 28:36 an article called Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People. 28:40 I've referenced and shared this article with many individuals 28:45 to question the importance, and value, and legitimacy of exclusive spaces. 28:49 And I gotta tell ya, the people questioning the value, and legitimacy, 28:53 and importance of exclusive spaces are typically white people. 28:58 So let's just noodle on that for a minute. 29:02 I recommend you read Blackwell's full article, but 29:06 I also added some quotes on this slide for you to read and I'll link it at the end. 29:09 But here are some quotes that stood out for me, I'm just gonna let you read them. 29:15 I'm gonna read this last one, though. 29:30 The values of whiteness are the water in which we all swim. 29:32 No one is immune. 29:35 These values dictate who speaks, how loud, when, the words we use, 29:36 what we don't say, what is ignored, who is validated and who is not. 29:42 I'll link this article at the end of the presentation. 29:47 I highly recommend you read the whole thing. 29:51 So hopefully it's clear that I see the value of these spaces, but 29:57 how is the organization I run following through on this particular idea? 30:01 So events are a huge part of what we do, or what we did pre-COVID. 30:05 They're all virtual now. 30:10 But every month we would have five or 30:11 six events in person to bring together anywhere from 50 to 300 30:14 people in the PDXWIT community to network, learn, and connect. 30:18 We have all kinds of recurring events, including BIPOC in tech, 30:23 how to study for a technical interview. 30:28 And all of these events are meant to be spaces where people can really meet one 30:31 another and connect. 30:35 And I'm also thinking about the fact that this is absolutely a digression. 30:37 But these events were happening in person and hundreds of people were shaking hands, 30:41 and eating off of the same appetizer trays. 30:46 And enclosed confined spaces for hundreds of people and it's just blowing my 30:48 mind right now to think about ever doing that again, post pandemic. 30:52 But back to my topic here at these events, 30:56 PDXWIT which creates breakout and breakout sessions in person for 31:01 VIP OSI only for for LGBTQ folks only. 31:07 And since late May PDXWIT has actually been holding virtual space for 31:11 racial justice conversations within the PDXWIT teams. 31:16 So among our staff and our volunteers, we come together as a full group, 31:20 and then we break into two groups BIPOC and White Allies. 31:26 The space for BIPOC, is not one that I'm in. 31:31 So I can't speak to what is being covered. 31:34 But the space for white allies is a space to share resources and connect. 31:37 And so far, this has been very well received. 31:41 So I'm glad we're able to follow through on this value. So to review, 31:48 here are the three simple but not so easy suggestions that I wanna leave you with. 31:49 And as you go out into the professional tech world, 31:54 no matter what your background is or what realm or 31:58 niche within tech you'll exist in. 32:02 I just want to challenge you to see it is your responsibility, to create and 32:06 foster a more exclusive tech space. 32:10 Especially if you go out into this industry due to unearned privilege. 32:12 The stakes are high. 32:17 Technology is not going anywhere. 32:19 And it has a direct impact on all of us, and of course on future generations. 32:22 And as technologists, we can hold our companies, and our teams, and 32:28 our bosses, and our peers accountable. 32:33 And I know many of you are not here in Portland. 32:37 And, well, we are headquartered here as an organization, we are a space for 32:42 anyone and everyone. 32:46 And pretty much everything is all virtual at this point. 32:47 So the only blocker I can think of right now is the timezone. 32:50 But even that is not too tricky. 32:56 We're dealing with that today. 32:57 So you're invited, please, you're welcome to join our movement. 32:59 Here's some various ways to find us online. 33:03 And I also wanna mention that we actually have one of our happy hours tonight, 33:06 and it's at 5 o'clock. 33:11 So coming off of in virtual events thing maybe this doesn't sound great. 33:13 But we're gonna have a bunch of recruiters on site ready to connect with people in 33:18 real time about positions they have open. 33:23 Off the top of my head I know we have Survey Monkey, VMware, TEKsystems, 33:25 New Relic, Candlelight, and a bunch of other companies who are hungry for talent. 33:29 So I know we have many talented people watching this. 33:34 And I'll let you know how to register for that. 33:37 And I mean it's just another hour in front of a screen, so 33:42 I feel like we can handle that. 33:46 And here are some sources I'm happy to share these in some other way. 33:49 But for now I wanted to be sure it share some links, and 33:53 I'm gonna open it up to questions. 33:57 So I'm going to stop sharing my screen. 33:59 How do I stop sharing my screen? 34:06 Okay, hi, I'm here now. 34:11 Looks like I have a question. 34:16 All right. 34:17 How do you manage to keep hope when working in inclusion work? 34:23 That's a big question. 34:27 I don't always feel hopeful. 34:29 I think it's when I hear the little success stories from people 34:32 who are making connections, and learning from one another, 34:37 and leveraging their own privilege. 34:42 As I mentioned in my presentation that gives me hope but 34:46 it's through those individual connections. 34:48 But sometimes I just feel like giving up, to be honest. 34:51 [LAUGH] There is a big, long road ahead when it comes to really affecting deep, 34:56 systemic change. 35:00 So I try to keep hope. 35:02 And part of it is just also taking care of myself and 35:03 setting boundaries with my time and heart. 35:07 How can I as a BIPOC woman stay confident when pursuing a job 35:10 as a software engineer? 35:15 So caveat, I'm saying this as a white woman. 35:17 But I really think that being sure that you have community around you and 35:20 people who are going to build you up. 35:25 Who will have the time to do a practice interview 35:28 will give you some of their time to review your resume. 35:32 And actually, I'm plugging PDXWIT again, 35:36 just cuz I think it's a great organization. 35:38 But we have all of those resources available, live and in real time. 35:41 So yeah, accessing those resources and also just knowing that you're smart and 35:44 your perspective is hugely important, and will make a better tech industry. 35:51 So trusting that about yourself and knowing that you're here for a reason, and 35:57 you have gone through the training you've gone through. 36:02 And it's not easy to go through that level of training. 36:05 So this sounds cheesy but, believe in yourself. 36:07 Let's see, how can BIPOC tell when they're being 36:10 given opportunity at work versus being tokenized? 36:15 That is such a nuanced and good question. 36:19 And I thought about talking about it in my presentation, 36:23 because there's no way to know for sure. 36:27 But what I would recommend is directly asking that question. 36:30 So if you're asked to take on a special project or 36:35 even if you're asked to have your photo used for marketing materials. 36:39 I think it's perfectly okay to say, why do you wanna use my photo? 36:46 And have whoever is asking you, answer that question. 36:50 It's going to make that person probably feel a little uncomfortable. 36:55 Because people in positions of power aren't typically used to being questioned 37:01 or challenged, but it's really important to do it. 37:05 And let's see, do I know of any PDXWIT type organizations in Austin? 37:08 I don't off the top of my head, but truly at this point we're here for you. 37:14 So if you wanted to, I can explore that a little bit. 37:20 But for now what I would recommend is tagging yourself on to the PDXWIT 37:24 community, seeing what we're about, and 37:28 then maybe consider starting a small community in Austin. 37:31 I mean a lot of people say Austin and Portland are kind of sister cities. 37:35 So it would make sense that there's something there, but 37:39 I haven't heard about it. 37:41 And as of now PDXWIT doesn't have like a chapter model. 37:43 Let's see here. 37:46 Hi, Elizabeth, can you speak to how these ideas 37:50 still specifically group segregation based on identity. 37:54 And I want to be I'm repeating this question htat use the word segregation. 37:58 I think that's kind of a loaded term. 38:03 But I wanna repeat the question. 38:04 So can you speak to how these ideas specifically group segregation based 38:06 on identity can lead to cohesion rather than separation. 38:11 So from my perspective, I think if people feel seen, and empowered, and safe. 38:15 They're going to not only be at their best in that group, but 38:21 take that feeling with them into a larger group setting where things are no mixed. 38:25 So I think the quotes from Kelsey that I shared are really powerful in that regard 38:31 that really if you are a non-white person in a space that is dominated by whiteness. 38:37 Which the tech industry, frankly is Then no matter what you are having 38:44 to flex your muscles to sort of be seen, to know what to say. 38:49 And having spaces where you can safely talk about that. 38:54 Marcus Carter, who's mentor of mine here in Portland calls those brave spaces, 38:57 not safe spaces but brave spaces. 39:02 Because you can really just kind of be who you are, and 39:04 have a supportive network who has been there through similar challenges. 39:08 And then you take that sort of feeling of empowerment and apply it. 39:13 And I'm not saying that everybody should only exist within their own bubbles, 39:17 that would be the wrong thing. 39:20 But I do believe that people need to charge off one another and 39:22 charge off people who have had similar experiences. 39:26 Okay, yeah, so how can companies recruit wholeheartedly for 39:30 diversity instead of tokenizing candidates? 39:36 Does it start from diverse leadership at the very top? 39:40 Well, thank you whoever asked that question because you answered it for me. 39:42 Diversity starts from the inside out. 39:47 And I know that some people might say like chicken or egg situation, 39:50 how do you do it if you're not there yet. 39:54 But you just set some standards for your company. 39:57 So the leader of a company, you can go to your board, to your investors, 39:59 to your other leaders, and say. 40:04 Here's our current diversity numbers, 40:06 here's where we're lacking in representation. 40:09 Let's set a goal as a team, to go to increase by whatever percentage. 40:12 That means you're not going to just hire the next person you see that 40:17 feels qualified. 40:21 But instead, you're gonna take a broader view. 40:23 Take your time. 40:27 Also, look at your interviewing. 40:28 Look at your rubrics for scoring. 40:31 Who is on your interview committees? 40:33 Who is looking at your job postings? 40:35 Where are you posting these opportunities? 40:37 So I really do believe it comes from the top. 40:41 And I see far too often that companies may be have some diversity at 40:43 their entry level. 40:48 But then as you move up the ladder, things get less and less so. 40:50 And at that point, it really is more about internal retention efforts and 40:54 less about recruitment. 40:59 But I think when people talk about the pipeline and trying to build a more 41:00 diverse pipeline, it doesn't necessarily get at the root of the issue. 41:05 Which is that usually the people at the top are, may be no fault of their own. 41:10 But as they've started these companies, 41:15 they hired the people they already knew, they hired the people who felt familiar. 41:18 We know that implicit bias is very rampant in every realm of the world. 41:24 So they likely got to a point where suddenly they realized all 41:27 of their leadership was white, or cisgender, or white, yeah, white women. 41:32 I just wanna say, white women are absolutely part of the issue as well. 41:39 Let's see. 41:44 [SOUND] Wow, these are such good questions. 41:45 I wanna make sure I'm not missing anything. 41:48 So I do self care? 41:52 I'm so glad you asked because we actually, I was just writing a newsletter 41:53 blurb that's gonna go out next week about self care and wellness and 41:58 the importance of that. 42:03 And also the importance of confronting the current narrative around self care and 42:04 wellness because it's not for everybody. 42:09 It's often out of reach and cost money for 42:12 people to engage in the traditional self care. 42:15 So going to yoga. 42:19 Having a nap. 42:19 Having a nice house where you can escape from your kids. 42:21 Did I mention I'm currently locked in the basement, the door is literally locked? 42:24 All of those things are, yes, ways to escape, 42:30 but also absolutely come with privilege. 42:32 And so, I think it's really important when we talk about self care to 42:34 think about ways that don't cost money, like setting limits with our time. 42:39 Snoozing our slack notifications after a certain time of day. 42:45 Ensuring that you set aside time to, 42:49 if it's your family that gives you kind of energy. 42:52 Or if it's cooking a meal, or if it's being outside, going on walks, 42:56 all of the things that we know kind of build us up. 43:01 And I am absolutely guilty of not always doing those things. 43:04 I was definitely emailing Liz who was coordinating this last night at 10 PM. 43:07 So I didn't do a great job with boundaries yesterday. 43:13 But most days, I really try to have a distinction between work and home. 43:16 But I also see this as my responsibility as a human. 43:21 So if I'm not in work mode, but I hear something that's problematic or 43:25 if I see something that's problematic I'm not just gonna be like, 43:30 well, I'm not wearing my equity hat. 43:35 I guess I'll just look the other way. 43:38 I'm going to hopefully do something to call it out. 43:40 Okay, let's see. 43:44 Regarding the breakout session, yes, 43:45 there are breakout sessions for GNC or queer people. 43:48 So just last month at our happy hour, we had a really fun, 43:52 a bunch of different breakout sessions. 43:56 So we come together as a group and 43:58 then we have different kind of meeting links that people can pop into. 44:01 So because it was June, we actually had sort of a mini pride party for 44:06 one of the breakout rooms. 44:10 And the facilitator that, I wasn't in there, but it sounded really fun. 44:12 But they piped in music and people were both networking and kind of celebrating. 44:17 And also having pretty deep conversations about the inter-sectional roots of pride. 44:22 And especially considering where we are with racial justice in this moment as 44:27 a country. 44:31 So yeah, these breakout rooms are definitely happening. 44:32 So the question of PDXWIT providing mentor, 44:35 it came up, and I wanna be sure to talk about that. 44:39 So I am incredibly proud of the mentor program that PDXWIT has. 44:43 And I don't know, may be someone in the chat may be ways you can 44:47 share a link to pdxwit.org/mentorship. 44:51 So If you go to that part of our website, you can sign up for 44:55 two different ways to engage with mentors. 44:58 You can either go through a traditional route of being paired with a long term 45:01 mentor who will, probably meet with you monthly or quarterly. 45:06 Of course, it's all virtual right now. 45:10 But you can get set up for that long term sponsorship and connection. 45:12 And/or you can get set up with what we call ad hoc mentorship or 45:17 on the spot mentorship. 45:21 So if you have a job interview coming up and 45:22 you just want someone to look at your resume or do a quick mock interview. 45:24 Or give you some kind of coaching on a conflict you're having at work, 45:28 then you can sign up for more one time encounters. 45:33 And so, it's really fast, you just click the button and suddenly you're taken to 45:36 a menu of different people with photos you can connect with. 45:41 So you can kind of see what their backgrounds are professionally, and 45:44 personally, and culturally. 45:49 And you can pick a time slot with them, and 45:51 then you get set up to do pretty instant video call with the mentor. 45:53 So yes, mentorship is a big part of what we do, and it is so 45:57 critical in this industry to have mentors. 46:02 I also just wanna make a plug that you can be mentors too. 46:05 Even if you're pretty early on in your career in the industry, 46:08 most of you have been working through a coding program. 46:12 Or have been through other experiences professionally that would probably lend 46:15 themselves really well to say, college students or 46:20 younger people who are Thinking about going in that direction. 46:22 So I personally think sometimes a mentor who's more recently joined the industry 46:26 might be a better source than someone who's been in it for 20, 30 years. 46:31 All of it is important, but I just never want people to sell 46:36 themselves short in terms of what they can offer. 46:40 So how does disability play into the conversation? 46:43 So in terms of our organization and what I am aiming to do. 46:47 We are just trying to create visibility on the fact that the tech 46:53 industry is not necessarily made for people who are not able bodied, 46:58 who don't have perfect vision or hearing. 47:04 So we are really careful about where we host our events when we're 47:08 doing them in person. 47:12 So what types of venues and spaces are we gonna take up. 47:14 Are they going to be physically accessible? 47:17 Are we going to have an ASL interpreter on site? 47:21 Which we always do for our virtual happy hours and our in person happy hours. 47:24 And also, I think someone mentioned social anxiety and I'm glad you did because 47:29 that's something that we're just now starting to talk about as an organization. 47:35 I don't have much social anxiety so it honestly hadn't occurred to me, 47:41 and I'm happy to admit because I'm practicing humility. 47:46 But it hadn't occurred to me that a happy hour with 200 people would not be 47:50 everybody's cup of tea. 47:53 And it's only been since COVID that we've veered into virtual where I'm 47:55 seeing all of these new people engaging, 47:58 who are like, I never wanted to go to your events in person. 48:00 But I'm so glad now I can go to it online from the comfort of my home without 48:04 feeling like I have to talk to people and meet people in person. 48:09 And so, out of that we're going to once we do start meeting in person again, 48:13 we're always gonna have a virtual component too. 48:17 So that can help with the people with more social anxiety. 48:20 And then another thing about disability. 48:24 And I don't know if I would even call this a disability, but 48:26 I wanna talk a little bit about neurodiversity. 48:31 So the tech industry is full of all different kinds of brains, and 48:34 minds, and including people who might be on the autism spectrum or 48:39 have just a different way of thinking. 48:44 And interviews, LinkedIn, kind of all hands meetings, 48:46 all of those kind of typical things you see in tech do not lend 48:51 themselves very well to people who are neurodiverse. 48:55 So our organization has tried to have awareness events about this and 49:00 both, as I said before, online and 49:04 in person spaces where we can have speakers touch on those topics. 49:07 All right, let's see. 49:11 So how do we tackle ageism in tech? 49:14 So I'm glad you asked about that too. 49:16 That's another big thing that I wouldn't say were successfully tackling yet. 49:20 But we do have a recurring event series called Experienced Women In Tech. 49:25 And it's really meant for 49:30 people who have more than 20 years of experience in the industry. 49:32 And they also sometimes go by the name, Seasoned Women In Tech. 49:36 And it's a cohort of people within the PBXWIT community who meet in person. 49:41 Who also have a private channel, 49:46 where they can talk through the experiences they're having. 49:48 And I would say in terms of how I or 49:52 my organization confirms this is really just talking about it and calling it out. 49:54 I hope you learned it in my presentation, but may be I didn't emphasize it enough, 49:58 but But there is a very small common age bracket for people in this industry. 50:03 I'm on the other side of it, and I'm not particularly on the older side. 50:10 So I know this is a problem. 50:16 Not only a problem for opportunity, but also, it leads to a lack of 50:18 innovation if we're not seeing diverse ages reflected across teams. 50:23 So it is an issue, and it's an ongoing one. 50:28 All right, well, let's see, maybe, 50:34 What are the things we should look out for when applying to a workplace? 50:40 So I would say number one thing you do after you read a job description, so 50:43 in that job description, be looking out for benefits that are specific. 50:49 So do they have trans healthcare, for example? 50:54 What does their parental leave policy look like? 50:58 What's their remote policy look like? 51:02 So looking at all of those things are really important. 51:05 And I should mention PDX has a job board where we 51:08 have badges that companies can basically, 51:11 that's the first thing you would see if you're looking at a PDX board job. 51:13 So look at that. 51:18 And then the very next thing you need to do is go to their website and 51:18 look at their leadership team. 51:22 If you can't find it, 51:24 it probably means they're not feeling particularly proud of the makeup of it. 51:26 So trying to do a little more digging. 51:32 Look on your LinkedIn. 51:35 See if you can find anybody who's connected with that company. 51:36 Because odds are, if they're not willing to show their numbers, show their work, 51:40 externally, then you're probably not gonna be joining a particular diverse team. 51:46 That's not to say you shouldn't apply for those jobs. 51:52 If it still feels like a great opportunity, 51:54 If it still has the benefits and flexibility you need, then go for it. 51:57 But I would say just go into it eyes wide open, knowing that at the start it 52:00 might not necessarily be the environment that will foster as much inclusion. 52:06 Yeah, so the question came up of, should I connect with folks from the company if 52:16 I'm interested in the job I see at the company, even if I don't know them? 52:21 And the answer is yes, absolutely. 52:26 I just know being in my role, and also other places that I've worked, 52:29 I loved it when people would cold call me and reach out to me and say, hey, 52:33 I just noticed you're hiring. 52:37 I don't know anybody at the company, but this job is really interesting to me. 52:39 Your company, obviously praise their company a bit. 52:42 Say I love how you're doing this on this, and 52:46 that'll get the person's attention that you're connecting with. 52:49 And do [INAUDIBLE] build those relationships. 52:52 And yeah, don't be afraid to put yourself out there. 52:54 That's really, ultimately, the way people get jobs these days, 52:58 is through these connections, not through sending out 100 resumes. 53:01 All right. 53:07 Let's see, last minute advice. 53:10 All these are such good questions, and 53:14 I just really appreciated how engaged you've been. 53:15 So I don't think I have anything to add besides what I've already said. 53:17 And I will work with the organizers of this event to share some 53:21 of those resources with you all that I cited in my presentation. 53:26 Because I feel like those writers and 53:30 those leaders in this industry do things way better than I ever could. 53:32 So thanks for listening. 53:36