Want to Support Equity in Tech? Here are 9 Organizations Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders
Tags: Equity, Technology, Nonprofit, 9 Days Of Giving, Tech Equity

The general mood of 2020, riddled with anxiety and frustration, is urging us to do better. This is true on a number of matters and has undergirded a truth in the tech industry: we need to do much more to remove barriers and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Thankfully, there are a number of non-profits and educational institutions working to create opportunities and support communities. Further down in this post, we’ve rounded up 9 for you to check out as part of our 9 Days of Giving. But first, let’s look at the problem in tech.

TECH EQUITY: WE’RE NOT THERE YET

A quick search of tech equity indicates that the industry isn’t making enough progress toward being more representative of our society. Here are a few articles from our search for you to peruse:

This snapshot of the technology workforce shows that tech continues to struggle with turning commitments into action.

It’s an unfortunate state of the industry, because we know diverse, inclusive workplaces benefit from higher revenue growth, a greater readiness to innovate, and 5.4 times higher employee retention.

Matt Bush, the Culture Coaching Lead at Great Place to Work®, provides a deeper look into these statistics and the growing body of research of why diversity and inclusion in the workplace is important.

So what are we doing?

While we’re proud of the fact that over 50% of RS21’s technical staff and leadership team are women, we recognize that we need to work faster to close the gender, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic gaps in tech. And fortunately, there are amazing organizations paving the way.

That’s why this year, we are directing our holiday giving toward groups that are educating our next generation of leaders, ensuring access to technology, increasing representation of people from different social identities, and making tech work for everyone.

9 DAYS OF GIVING

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be highlighting and celebrating the work of 9 organizations doing the work to empower our future bosses, build equity in tech, and cultivate our communities. We’ve selected both local and national groups that are building strong foundations for today and the future.

Follow our #9DaysOfGiving campaign on social media to learn more about each of them.

Cultivating Coders brings coding camps to young adults and K-12 schools in rural, tribal, and underserved inner cities to help prepare them for tech jobs. In 2020, they made online workshops free to benefit students learning from home.

All kids benefit from tech! One Laptop Per Child provides rugged, connected laptops for the world’s most vulnerable children. RS21 contributed to OLPC to help address the digital divide.

LAYC Career Academy Public Charter School provides college prep and career training in high-growth occupations. Learn more about how the organization supports young people between the ages of 16 and 24 in the District of Columbia.

If girls didn’t code, the world would notice. With 8,500 programs worldwide, Girls Who Code is closing the gender gap in technology. Check out their #MissingCode campaign, and support women in tech.

The Native American Community Academy (NACA) prepares students from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds, including from more than 60 different tribes, to be strong leaders who are academically prepared, secure in their identity, and healthy. Make your donation to support students from early childhood to adulthood.

Lesbians Who Tech & Allies is building a network of colleagues and increasing the visibility of queer, female, trans, gender non-conforming, and POC leaders in technology. Make your donation to the Edie Windsor Coding Scholarship to help kickstart careers in tech.

Get to know one of New Mexico’s first charter schools! Since 2000, South Valley Academy has built a reputation for transforming lives and community and preparing young people for college, career, and civic engagement. SVA offers student, family, and neighborhood courses.

Black Girls CODE empowers girls of color to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities & builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science + technology. We donated to support their goal of training 1 million girls by 2040. Make your contribution online.

RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America, is the premier professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities through increasing access to technology solutions.

Consider making your own donation or subscribe to their newsletters to learn how you can help these organizations fulfill their missions.

THE START OF AN ONGOING CONVERSATION

Photo by Jason Leung / Unsplash

The topic of tech equity doesn’t stop at workplace representation. It includes important conversations about long-standing structural inequalities. And how digital tools can benefit some while undermining the wellbeing of others.

Dr. Ruha Benjamin, professor in the Department of African American studies at Princeton University (who we were thrilled to learn from during her recent online guest lecture at Central New Mexico Community College), has written extensively about the relationship between technology and inequity.

Our own DEI efforts at RS21 are taking us down the path of having essential conversations and setting measurable goals toward more equal representation. We’re learning a lot along the way and will continue to share resources and highlight organizations that can help the tech industry realize diversity, equity, and inclusion faster than the current trajectory.

We’d love to continue a conversation with you. What have your experiences been in tech? What’s working, and what isn’t?