Coding is a Privilege - Speaker Deck

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CODING IS A PRIVILEGE Alisha Ramos @alishalisha

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ASSUMPTIONS • You care about diversity in tech • You are interested in doing something about it

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TODAY'S TALK • Diversity in Tech • My Story • So What? • Privilege • How You Can Help

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Access to becoming an engineer should be wide open to all, but today that is far from the case.

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SWIMMING VS. COMPUTER SCIENCE

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“ 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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DENIED ACCESS

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SIX TIMES AS LIKELY TO DROWN IN A SWIMMING POOL.

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STUCK IN THE SHALLOW END: EDUCATION, RACE, AND COMPUTING by Jane Margolis MIT Press, 2008

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$ $$ $$$ Overcrowded urban high school Math and science magnet school Well-funded, afﬂuent school

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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

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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

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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."

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DIVERSITY IN CS AND TECH TODAY

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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

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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

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Black employees 7% Hispanic employees 5% Source: The Verge. LACK OF DIVERSITY IN TECH

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PIPELINE PROBLEM?

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Blacks and Latinxs earning CS Bachelor's degrees 18% 5% Source: code2040.org Blacks and Latinxs working in top tech companies

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BROADENING COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION IS JUST ONE PART OF THE EQUATION.

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MY STORY

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Some of my ﬁrst websites

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Some of my ﬁrst websites

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Sociology + Medieval History

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What's job security? Sociology + Medieval History

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"I LOVE DESIGN AND CODE!"

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BOOTCAMPS WERE TOO EXPENSIVE

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SELF-TAUGHT

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EMPLOYMENT!

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0 25 50 75 100 CONSULTANT FRONT-END DESIGNER SALARY CHANGE

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0 25 50 75 100 CONSULTANT FRONT-END DESIGNER SALARY CHANGE ~60% INCREASE!

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WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT THIS SOONER?!

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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

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OPPORTUNITY FOR THESE GROUPS TO BUILD GENERATIONAL WEALTH Photo Source: #WOCinTechChat

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WHAT ABOUT OTHERS? WHAT ABOUT THEIR CHANCES?

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Computer Internet connection Supportive parents Good school CHECKING MY PRIVILEGES

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Being a developer is a position of privilege, but privilege should not be the only path to becoming one. Photo Source: #WOCinTechChat

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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/

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“BUT WAIT! I LEARNED TO CODE FOR FREE.”

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EQUITY VS. EQUALITY

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• Racial privilege • Socioeconomic privilege • Male privilege • Religious privilege • Geographical privilege • ...and more WE ARE NOT ALL ON AN EQUAL FOOTING

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SO WHAT? WHY SHOULD I CARE?

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MORE VOICES Photo: #WOCinTechChat

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BETTER RESULTS Photo: #WOCinTechChat

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MORE REALISTIC Photo: #WOCinTechChat

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Companies that lack diversity risk building products that exclude their customers. “ — Y-Vonne Hutchinson, "Biased by Design"

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HOW YOU CAN HELP 8 SIMPLE TIPS

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Support the "computer science for all" movement. TIP #1

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CSFORALL.ORG

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Find volunteer opportunities. TIP #2

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https://github.com/alishalisha/volunteer-diversity-tech Resilient Coders

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Make yourself visible as a role model. TIP #3

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Grow your networks. TIP #4

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Growing our networks can have a positive effect on hiring and recruitment

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Help create a safe and inclusive environment. TIP #5

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Source: http://code-of-conduct.voxmedia.com/

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"Cultural ﬁt?"

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Lend your visibility. TIP #6

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Support others who are just starting out. TIP #7

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Become aware of your own privilege and unconscious bias. TIP #8

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EVERYONE EXPERIENCES UNCONSCIOUS BIAS

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implicit.harvard.edu

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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

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CODING IS A PRIVILEGE Photo: #WOCinTechChat

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THIS IS A CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. — Jane Margolis, "Stuck in the Shallow End" “ Photo: #WOCinTechChat

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THANK YOU! Alisha Ramos / @alishalisha