Our Perspectives from Tech Inclusion NY
Solutions-focused. Practical. Valuable.
by Solome Tibebu, Healthcare Advocate +Entrepreneur & Abiola Doherty, Technology Analyst at JP Morgan Chase
In the words of Solome:
August 9th & 10th, Tech Inclusion NY brought together executives, technologists, educators, policymakers, HR and D&I professionals to discuss diversity and inclusion in tech and media workplaces. The event was hosted by Change Catalyst and Viacom, where attendees were inspired by 10-minute flash talks from media personalities, investors, entrepreneurs and more.

This was unlike any conference or professional development event I’ve attended in the past. It was overwhelming and delightful to see so many professionals eager to change the status quo and be a part of the conversation on this day: youth tech programs participants, high-level executives, early-career individuals, differently-abled individuals capable of participating with teleprompters, and allies wanting to do more.

The event was particularly solution-focused, jam-packed with practical advice for attendees to take back and implement within their own organizations and lives. I was drawn to the work of Jennifer Brown, Founder & CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting. She led the talk, Leveraging Diversity — How Diversity and Inclusion Will Drive Next Generation Workplace:
We are ALL covering at work, which is defined as downplaying a known, stigmatized identity. Some of the ways we cover include:
- Appearance-based covering i.e. how do I wear my hair?
- Affiliation i.e. parents may not want to take all the parental leave they are offered as they may be affiliated with a category of people who work less than others.
- Advocacy i.e. a common one for women: when you are the one standing up and saying something on behalf of your group, you are penalized.
- Association i.e. “I don’t want to be seen in the hallway talking to people in my community, so I distance myself from them as to not be clumped together with them or seen as favoring them.”
In reality, however, the world NEEDS to see the identity for which we feel vulnerable. An executive once said, “I don’t tell people that I never got my undergraduate degree.” However, this is exactly what we need to see in our leaders today to shed light on education privilege. Covering takes a lot of energy to uphold, keeping employees from doing their work in a safe, secure environment.
It’s also not well known that 45% of white men cover as well. Common covered identities include: “I grew up poor,” “I’m a feminist,” “My wife makes more money than me,” “I’m a Democrat,” etc. We also have to consider intersectionality, a combination of privileged and non-privileged identities, it is important for us to consider in what ways we are privileged and how we are not.
Allies are going to change our workforce challenges more than anything else.

Finally, Jennifer presented the idea of the Ally Continuum. Allies are going to change our workforce challenges more than anything else. Being well-meaning is not enough. What you are DOING is what counts. She described that everyone is on a continuum; some are much more aware than others. The Ally Continuum includes four A’s:
Apatethic — no understanding of the issues
Aware — knows basic concepts, not advitve on behalf of self or others
Active — well-informed, shareing and seaking diversity when asked/prompted
Advocate — committed, routinely and proactively champtioning inclusion
Her insight helped me to realize how important it is to move along the continuum with the goal of being an Advocate.
To outline what companies can do to increase diversity and inclusion Liz Gray, President at The Girls Lounge (Female Quotient) and Brook Hinton, Consumer Insights Manager at Refinery29, shared the following points:
- Start from the inside out. When is the last time you actually spoke to someone about their experience at your company? Did you do that? Did you follow up to go build a relationship?
- Be active and combat apathy. If you’re in a position of power, imagine new ways to combat apathy. 50% of women globally feel it is important to have diverse leaders; however, only 28% with there were more women in color in positions of power. This is a huge disconnect. Why does this gap exist? It’s on us to lead by example.
- Encourage others to speak up. The majority of women around the world (70%) value people speaking up when noticing harmful ism, but only 24% of said they do it themselves. This is an even larger discrepancy in things that we as women say we value and what we show we value through actions.
Overall, Tech Inclusion was an amazing conference with awesome speakers and audience members. I included some of my favorite snippets here:
In the words of Abiola:
This month I was able join Black Tech Women for the second annual Tech Inclusion New York Conference! The focus for the day centered around the question of “How and what will we as professionals in ours fields do to ensure that technology is for everyone?” The day was quite insightful as had the opportunity to connect with tech leaders, policymakers, educators and individuals that were passionate about technology, diversity and inclusion.
What I can do as an industry professional to make my workplace better for people who may differ from me?

Speakers included Shaun King, a panelist of executives discussing the intersection of media and tech, and so much more. The discussions led me ask the following questions:
- What I can do as an industry professional to make my workplace better for people who may differ from me?
- What is my role within the industry and how I can go about elevating my career while still being respected. (Especially, in a time that the world is evolving and companies are being held accountable for their actions.)
- What do companies actually consider when they say they want diversity; i.e. do they want someone in the company to just represent a quota or do they want someone to voice their opinions?
I commend the conference for bringing to light many challenging issues we face in our community and filling a gap in a space that has been long overdue.
One panel, Driving an Inclusive Future for Gen Z, included a conversation with high school students within STEM education. This resonated, because I got to see the impact of all the work people have put into including minorities in technology centered programs. The students spoke with confidence and felt empowered by their technology acumen. The panel gave me hope for the future because I did not have these types of programs growing up, and I can see the value these programs provide in terms of perspective for young students. It also reminded me of the impact giving back the community can have on future generations.
The biggest takeaway is that people have been fighting successfully for local change. It’s organizations like Change Catalyst that start igniting the conversation for inclusion in the world’s fastest growing industry. I’m comforted to see individuals within the industry and changemakers in the broader tech ecosystem making an effort for a more equal world. We must be the change in the workplace that we want to see and should educate others on how to join the conversation.
Tech Inclusion takes an ecosystem approach to improving diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. Their work focuses on five major impact areas across the tech ecosystem, and they host conferences around the world.
Learn more about Black Tech Women by visiting our website, and follow us on instagram and twitter.
