Building Inclusive Communities

We’re all a part of a community—design, CSS, JavaScript or any other. But often we fail to reflect on what that actually means and what responsibility it conveys for us as individuals. This talk focuses on understanding what communities are; creating, sustaining and growing them. It offers insight into building participatory culture, fostering empathy and building a better future, together.

Transcript

1. Building
   Inclusive
   Communities
   Presented by @fox
   

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2. ⚠ Trigger warning
   This talk includes mentions of harassment and depiction or
   discussion of discriminatory attitudes or actions. If at any point
   you feel uncomfortable with the content, please feel free to
   leave and take care of yourself ❤
   

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4. I remember the magic of connecting to the
   Internet for the first time, over two decades
   ago. I was instantly hooked on its wonders.
   

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5. Today feels different.
   

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6. The platforms we were once so excited
   about are dehumanising and urging us to fit
   into stereotypical and often oppressive
   societal norms.
   

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7. It’s easier to feel like there’s no room for us
   at all.
   

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8. It’s easier to feel like there’s no room for us
   at all. We don’t belong. I don’t belong.
   

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9. Peter Block
   “Our communities are separated into silos; they're
   collection of institutions and programs operating
   near one another but not overlapping or touching.
   This is important to understand because this
   dividedness that makes it so difficult to create a
   more positive or alternative future.”
   

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10. Diversity and inclusion are prerequisites to
    intentional communities where anyone can
    belong.
    

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11. Diversity and Inclusion
    

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12. Vernā Myers
    “Diversity is being invited to the party.
    Inclusion is being asked to dance.”
    

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13. Diversity encompasses complex differences
    and similarities between people such as:
    gender, race, age, ability, socioeconomic status,
    religion and many more aspects.
    

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14. Inclusion is a sense of belonging, engaging
    all individuals and letting them function
    at full capacity.
    

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15. Equity requires a set of informed policies and
    practices, intentionally designed to promote
    opportunity and rectify disparities.
    

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16. Exclusion takes the form of discrimination that
    denies full access to rights, opportunities and
    resources that are normally accessible to others.
    

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17. The Industry
    

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18. Astra Taylor
    “We have somehow deceived ourselves
    into believing that this state of insecurity
    and inequity is a form of liberation.”
    

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19. 26%
    of computing occupations are held by women.
    Source: National Center for Women and Information Technology
    

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20. 6%
    of Fortune 500 chief executives are women.
    Source: Fortune CEOs
    

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21. 98%
    of VCs are white or Asian males.
    Source: Silicon Valley’s Morality Crash
    

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22. 29%
    is as high as the pay gap between men and
    women gets.
    Source: The Gender Pay Gap in Tech
    

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23. 60%
    of women reported unwanted sexual advances.
    Source: Elephant in the Valley
    

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25. 30%
    of women of colour were passed over for a
    promotion.
    Source: Tech Leavers Study
    

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26. 8%
    of tech workers never experienced gender
    bias.
    Source: ISACA Breaking The Gender Barriers
    

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27. 95%
    of Open Source contributors are male.
    Source: Github Open Source Survey
    

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28. We are turning a blind eye to systemic issues.
    

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29. The tech industry often becomes a safe
    harbour for only one type of demographic
    —white men.
    

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30. Allyship
    

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31. Ellen Pao
    “We are at a crossroads.
    We can take the hard road to reforming
    our industry through innovation and
    accountability or continue with the status
    quo after a moment of self-flagellation.”
    

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32. We glorify our leaders, trusting they are the
    only agents of change.
    

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33. We glorify our leaders, trusting they are the
    only agents of change. This deeply patriarchal
    agenda limits our capacity for improvement.
    

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34. Change begins with us.
    No reach or exposure necessary.
    No more silent bystanders.
    No more looking away.
    

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35. Being an ally is an ongoing process of
    unlearning, re-evaluating and challenging
    the oppressive status quo.
    

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36. 01
    Educate
    

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37. Laurie Penny
    “Thousands of otherwise decent people
    are persuaded to go along with
    an unfair system because changing it
    seems like too much bother.”
    

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38. We need to commit to an ongoing act of
    introspection, reflection and learning.
    

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39. Ignorance is part of the oppression.
    Don’t expect members of underrepresented
    groups to coach you.
    

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41. 02
    Listen
    

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42. Mia McKenzie
    “Shut up and listen.”
    

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43. Listen to diverse, confronting stories—
    understand, believe and empathise who we’re
    allying ourselves with.
    

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44. Sarah Jeong
    “The Internet is experienced completely differently
    by people who are visibly identifiable as a
    marginalised race or gender.
    It’s a nastier, more exhausting Internet, one that
    gets even nastier and even more exhausting as
    intersections stack up.”
    

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45. 03
    Understand privilege
    

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46. Privilege is a set of unearned benefits that
    come with identity traits, such as race, religion,
    sexual orientation, class or ability.
    

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47. Privilege is the opposite of oppression, but
    the two can coexist.
    

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48. It’s our responsibility to recognise and identify
    the privilege we have. Keep a list.
    

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49. 04
    Combat unconscious bias
    

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50. Unconscious biases are shortcuts our brains
    take in processing information.
    We are all guilty of bias.
    

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51. Make your bias conscious—question first
    impressions and justify your opinions.
    

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52. 05
    Organise
    

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53. It’s our responsibility as organisers to ensure
    safe and inclusive platforms for gathering.
    We need set the tone for the industry.
    

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54. Implement an enforceable Code of Conduct,
    publish diversity and accessibility statements
    and ensure equal representation.
    

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55. 06
    Donate and give
    

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56. Diversity and inclusion-oriented organisations
    are often understaffed and underfunded.
    

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57. Donate: funds, time, mentorship. Scale it up.
    

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58. 07
    Diversify and amplify
    

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59. It’s crucial to amplify voices of those without
    privilege.
    

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60. Follow more people with opinions and
    backgrounds different than yours.
    It’s up to you to decide what to amplify.
    

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61. 08
    Take responsibility
    

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62. No matter how hard we try, we will make
    mistakes.
    

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63. We need to own up to our wrongdoing and
    take proactive steps to prevent it from
    happening in the future.
    

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64. 1. Educate
    2. Listen
    3. Understand privilege
    4. Combat unconscious bias
    5. Organise
    6. Donate and give
    7. Diversify and amplify
    8. Take responsibility
    

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65. The Future
    

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66. Peter Block
    “Sustainable transformation is constructed in
    those places where citizens choose to come
    together to produce a desired future.”
    

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67. Technological choices we’re making today
    won’t matter in a span of a few short years.
    

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68. The only thing to prevail is the impact
    we had on other people.
    

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69. We cannot build a better future perpetuating
    abusive exclusion.
    

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70. People first
    

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71. Martin Luther King Jr.
    “Life’s most persistent
    and urgent question is,
    ‘What are you doing for
    others?’”
    

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72. Thank you
    Slides: speakerdeck.com/fox/building-inclusive-communities
    Questions and feedback: @fox on Twitter
    

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