Coding is a Privilege

Transcript

1. CODING IS A PRIVILEGE Alisha Ramos @alishalisha

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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

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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
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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

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30. Some of my first websites

31. Some of my first websites

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33. Sociology + Medieval History

34. What's job security? Sociology + Medieval History

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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.”

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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"
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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

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71. Grow your networks. TIP #4

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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

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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