In this very special & personal episode, we take a break from our usual programming and bring together some of our friends to share their experiences being Black In Tech. We discuss how the recent events have affected us, our experiences being a black person in tech, what we believe responsibilities are and should be, and advice for people of color starting their career in tech today.
Recorded Date: Sunday, June 28, 2020
Time Stamps
- @00:02:45: How has this past month affected you?
- @00:10:40: African Time Arrival
- @00:26:40: Being a Black Person in Tech
- @00:45:40: Our responsibilities in the workspace
- @01:14:00: Advice for someone of color starting their career in tech today
Highlights
- Is it because of COVID-19 and the lockdown that people have come out in full force over George Floyd's untimely and inhumane death? We have had these issues for a long time yet this is the first global response we have seen
- We had race riots in LA in 1992 - has social media made it just more visible for everyone to see?
- Tens of millions of people had to lose their jobs for people to be in a position to protest racism in our society
- This time around feels very different, but this is only the beginning - we still have a lot of work
- The problem with racism is that it is a social experiment that has been perfected over centuries
- Having your own back in your job is very important
- Being randomly selected every single time
- The stereotype is based on the color of your skin - you are considered black regardless of your background, nationality, ethnicity
- Being the only one or one of the few, we are constantly wondering whether we are the diversity hires/stand-ins
- You can't use hard work alone to get your way out of everything
- Why should it be my responsibility to educate you when there are a plethora of resources out there (books, podcasts, documentaries, movies, etc)?
- We have a responsibility to lend a helping hand to more junior employees in our organizations
- We are all in tech because we are waiting on our MCAT results to come in so we can become doctors as our parents wished for us
- Seek safe spaces that allow you to speak about your experience with someone that can listen to you and provide you with a prospective
- NESBI Clubs (https://nsbe.org/home.aspx) are a great place to seek a community & support
- Be sure and do not have any doubt that you deserve to be in that room
- Get something out of the pain and anger that you will experience
- Have that friend or group of friends you meet with on a regular basis to help get perspective and help each other
- Advocate for yourself and express what you want to your manager, your colleagues and your hire ups
- We need more black entrepreneurs willing to ditch the standard path of corporate America and build businesses
