Why Women of Color are the Future of Tech
Yulkendy Valdez, Sonia Mañjon |
TEDxAlbany
• December 2019
According to the Center for Talent Innovation, only 11% of Black women have sponsors in the workplace, and 75% of Hispanic women want “safe harbors”—places where employees can discuss challenges and opportunities. White men are 41% more likely to be executives than white women, 260% more likely than Asian women, 418% more than Black women, and 438% more than LatinX women (Ascend). Our organizations, Forefront and LeaderSpring Center, have been working on a research project to create viable pathways to increase participation and retention of women of color (WoC) in the technology sector. The project centers on the development of a roadmap to define and set forth priorities and actionable steps that tech companies can take to advance women of color in the tech sector.
Additionally, this project will develop a scorecard to track progress on the steps outlined in the roadmap. The goal is that partner organizations will commit to implementing the roadmap and using the scorecard for evaluating the outcomes of their diversity and inclusion strategy. This talk will cover the findings from our research, leveraging stories, and lived experiences as women of color navigating the workplace and the technology sector. Kapor Center for Social Impact and Pivotal Ventures have sponsored our research, and we are part of their Women of Color in Computing Collaborative.