Coding is a Privilege

Talk given at CSSConf2016.

http://twitter.com/alishalisha

Transcript

1. CODING IS A PRIVILEGE Alisha Ramos @alishalisha
4. ASSUMPTIONS • You care about diversity in tech • You are interested in doing something about it
5. TODAY'S TALK • Diversity in Tech • My Story • So What? • Privilege • How You Can Help
6. Access to becoming an engineer should be wide open to all, but today that is far from the case.
7. SWIMMING VS. COMPUTER SCIENCE
9. “ THE GOLD MEDAL WASN'T JUST FOR ME. IT'S FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO CAME BEFORE ME. — Simone Manuel, 2016 Olympic gold medalist
11. DENIED ACCESS
12. SIX TIMES AS LIKELY TO DROWN IN A SWIMMING POOL.
13. STUCK IN THE SHALLOW END: EDUCATION, RACE, AND COMPUTING by Jane Margolis MIT Press, 2008
14. $ $$ $$$ Overcrowded urban high school Math and science magnet school Well-funded, affluent school
15. FINDS A "RACE GAP" IN COMPUTER SCIENCE • Found that many classrooms were "technology rich but curriculum poor" • Only the wealthiest schools offered advanced courses, and few students of color enrolled in them • Uncovers dangerous belief systems students have about themselves, and teachers have about their students
16. SWIMMING VS. COMPUTER SCIENCE • Something that people of color "don't do" • Associated with a certain "type" of person • Both began as a white-dominated activity
17. Margolis states that the race gap in computer science education "is one example of the way students of color are denied a wide range of occupational and educational futures."
18. DIVERSITY IN CS AND TECH TODAY
19. COMPUTER SCIENCE IS MISSING FROM AMERICAN K-12 EDUCATION U.S. schools without a single CS course offered 75% Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/csforall-fact-sheet-9-13-16-long.pdf
20. THE LACK OF ACCESS IS EVEN WORSE FOR UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES 22% 13% Girls who took the AP Computer Science exam in 2015 African-American or Latino students who took the AP Computer Science exam in 2015 Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/csforall-fact-sheet-9-13-16-long.pdf
21. Black employees 7% Hispanic employees 5% Source: The Verge. LACK OF DIVERSITY IN TECH
22. PIPELINE PROBLEM?
23. Blacks and Latinxs earning CS Bachelor's degrees 18% 5% Source: code2040.org Blacks and Latinxs working in top tech companies
24. BROADENING COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION IS JUST ONE PART OF THE EQUATION.
25. MY STORY
30. Some of my first websites
31. Some of my first websites
33. Sociology + Medieval History
34. What's job security? Sociology + Medieval History
36. "I LOVE DESIGN AND CODE!"
37. BOOTCAMPS WERE TOO EXPENSIVE
38. SELF-TAUGHT
39. EMPLOYMENT!
40. 0 25 50 75 100 CONSULTANT FRONT-END DESIGNER SALARY CHANGE
41. 0 25 50 75 100 CONSULTANT FRONT-END DESIGNER SALARY CHANGE ~60% INCREASE!
42. WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT THIS SOONER?!
43. The average salary of a tech worker is more than the median household income of a black family and a Latinx family combined. (The average net worth of a white family is 15x that of a black or Latina family.) Source: Pew Research Center
44. The average salary of a tech worker is more than the median household income of a black family and a Latinx family combined. (The average net worth of a white family is 15x that of a black or Latinx family.) Source: Pew Research Center
45. OPPORTUNITY FOR THESE GROUPS TO BUILD GENERATIONAL WEALTH Photo Source: #WOCinTechChat
46. WHAT ABOUT OTHERS? WHAT ABOUT THEIR CHANCES?
47. Computer Internet connection Supportive parents Good school CHECKING MY PRIVILEGES
48. Being a developer is a position of privilege, but privilege should not be the only path to becoming one. Photo Source: #WOCinTechChat
49. COMPUTER SCIENCE CAN BREAK THE CYCLE OF INEQUALITY. “ — Jane Margolis and Yasmin Kafai Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/17/why-the-coding-for-all-movement- is-more-than-a-boutique-reform/
50. “BUT WAIT! I LEARNED TO CODE FOR FREE.”
52. EQUITY VS. EQUALITY
53. • Racial privilege • Socioeconomic privilege • Male privilege • Religious privilege • Geographical privilege • ...and more WE ARE NOT ALL ON AN EQUAL FOOTING
54. SO WHAT? WHY SHOULD I CARE?
55. MORE VOICES Photo: #WOCinTechChat
56. BETTER RESULTS Photo: #WOCinTechChat
57. MORE REALISTIC Photo: #WOCinTechChat
58. Companies that lack diversity risk building products that exclude their customers. “ — Y-Vonne Hutchinson, "Biased by Design"
64. HOW YOU CAN HELP 8 SIMPLE TIPS
65. Support the "computer science for all" movement. TIP #1
66. CSFORALL.ORG
67. Find volunteer opportunities. TIP #2
68. https://github.com/alishalisha/volunteer-diversity-tech Resilient Coders
69. Make yourself visible as a role model. TIP #3
71. Grow your networks. TIP #4
75. Growing our networks can have a positive effect on hiring and recruitment
76. Help create a safe and inclusive environment. TIP #5
77. Source: http://code-of-conduct.voxmedia.com/
78. "Cultural fit?"
79. Lend your visibility. TIP #6
80. Support others who are just starting out. TIP #7
82. Become aware of your own privilege and unconscious bias. TIP #8
83. EVERYONE EXPERIENCES UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
84. implicit.harvard.edu
85. https://app.box.com/s/bpk3v4umfbj8dkakepwvqpqt79y87tyt • Spend time with people from different backgrounds • Set data-driven tools and processes in place, especially for hiring and promotions WE CAN MANAGE UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
86. CODING IS A PRIVILEGE Photo: #WOCinTechChat
87. THIS IS A CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. — Jane Margolis, "Stuck in the Shallow End" “ Photo: #WOCinTechChat
88. THANK YOU! Alisha Ramos / @alishalisha