On the Importance of Community for Diversity in Tech

An update on Project Alloy & why I contribute to Project Alloy’s mission

The first few words Kyle wrote about his personal project to tackle issues around a lack of diversity in tech struck me in an intense and personal way:

“Being the only Latina, the only trans man, or the only disabled person in the room can be tough. Our background should be secondary to our abilities and passions, but we’re not there yet. Women, people of color, and other minorities remain dramatically underrepresented in tech. We’re here to build things, to share our ideas, to seek advice and inspiration, to find jobs. Our background should be secondary to our abilities and passions, but we’re not there yet. Women, people of color, and other minorities remain dramatically underrepresented at technical conferences. So let’s shift the ratio. If you’re a member of an under-represented group, and you can’t afford to attend a technical conference, I want to help you get there.”

Tech has always been an outsider’s club to me. Though I have had a technical inclination since I was a tiny child, and deeply love the ways that new technologies can make us all more capable, I have also directly seen the ways the tech industry can (often subtly and unintentionally, but at other times also overtly) hold back people who don’t pattern-match along the lines of a hoodied Hollywood “hacker” trope. Fortunately, there are antidotes — for example having a sense of belonging to a community that has your back can make a big difference:

By forming strong communities and by looking out for each other, I believe people from underrepresented backgrounds can and will make the tech industry our own. I have personallybeen fortunate to be able to see directly how mechanisms that form community and connection has made the difference to me and to my peers who have stayed in tech and been able to make our careers here.

This includes my experiences with programs at tech conferences, starting with conferences I was able attend while still in undergrad due to various programs of support. Attending conferences was valuable, especially in the earliest parts of my career, by exposing me to the most cutting-edge ideas of particular fields of interest, introducing me to the people generating and working on them (who have in some cases stayed in touch for years—forming the basis of strong relationships and community.) These also had the effect of showing that the world of technology is approachable and built by all variety of hard-working and motivated people, an invaluable lesson.

All of these things make a difference if you’re trying to build a technical career. Conference attendance is, in a macro sense, a very easy starting point and from the perspective of a working professional with an established career, should be reasonably accessible — but, unfortunately, when you’re just starting out and required to find the funds for travel and ticket fees from your personal budget, these may be too far out of reach. That’s where Project Alloy comes in.

Kyle’s essay helped me to realize that there is no barrier to making a difference. There is such agency incorporated in directly giving to another person to bring them into the tech world, to pay it forward, and to contribute personally to changing the demographics of the rooms and companies that I do my work in. His conclusion kicked me into gear:

Market rate for backend engineers in San Francisco is something like $80–140K, so there are a lot of folks who can spare a few thousand to send a person or two to a conference.

A bunch of engineers have talked about setting up something more formal, so there’s definitely interest. I just can’t organize it myself — I can barely keep my apartment in good repair and do my taxes, let alone run a company, haha. Interested in stepping up to organize a 501(c)3 or something? That’s a great idea and you should totally do it and tell me/everyone.

That’s what led me to write this essay of my own, which in turn served as the starting point for the organization, Project Alloy. I did hesitate — on the one hand, I intellectually know the research: for a woman of color who works in tech, it’s both a trope and historically a potential career hazard to associate myself with diversity efforts. And yet, I feel strongly that this work is important and that someone must put in time and efforts to opening these doors. As someone who has benefitted from others’ kindness and generosity in this regard, I feel I am at a point where I can spare some of my time and money to pay it forward.

Just over a year since launching, we have made tremendous progress: Project Alloy is an official 501(c)3 able to accept charitable tax-deductible donations, and has a board comprised of the most excellent partners and collaborators I could ask for, Brooke and Ian. We are joined by a team of other volunteers and I feel that we have together built an incredible organization. This year, we have joined forces with Strange Loop, an incredible conference focused on cutting edge developments in programming languages and software craft. Strange Loop additionally has a track record of providing grants like these and a borne commitment to a diverse and supportive environment. We have received over 190 applications and will be sending our first class of Project Alloy grantees to Strange Loop this fall. We are very proud to work with Alex and Bridget who organize this conference, who have taught us an immense amount about how to run the process as they have learned to do, and intend to bring the practices we have learned to additional conferences in 2018.

As an engineer and participant in the tech industry, I also personally contribute a monthly donation to Project Alloy. But of course no one person can carry this alone, nor can one person change the tech industry. We receive support from a number of engineers who feel they have a bit to spare for our cause, and I am proud to be one of them as well. I am looking forward to seeing the collective effects of our contributions and work in the long term. Ultimately, what we are trying to do is not just to bring people to conferences, but to create a network and community of people who can know each other and support each other in their careers down the line.

If you’re interested in contributing to our efforts, here’s how you can help: donate. Some of our core supporters contribute monthly on a subscription basis, which functions for us in a manner similar to Patreon. Or if you’d prefer to spend some time volunteering request to join our slack. Additionally, if you work at a company, we are still seeking help with sponsorships at the Super, Awesome, and Terrific pledge levels in order to fund this year’s class of grantees to Strange Loop 2017. (To all those who have supported us today or to date — thank you!)