Talk

Portland, OR June 27, 2015
The Road Ahead: Making 'Diversity In Tech' More Inclusive

Every journey starts with a first step, and "diversity in tech" conversations have been crucial in raising awareness and creating initiatives to make the industry accessible to all. In particular, closing the gender gap has become an important priority and a goal for the industry. But gender diversity efforts have been centered primarily around white women, with little attention to how gender diversity impacts women of color.

In my talk, I'll discuss how white privilege affects me as a woman of color in the industry and in diversity initiatives, as well as how the usage of the term "diversity" to loosely bring all marginalized people together without giving thought and attention to specific issues has made it harder for other groups to get much-needed visibility in their issues, and how intersectionality affects which members of marginalized groups get visibility.