Hacks/Hackers London embraces the OpenNews Rider for Meaningfully Inclusive Events

As the organisers of regular events we’ve been proactively thinking about how to ensure that we represent and promote a diverse community in journalism and tech. Over the years, we’ve made best efforts to do this, but we think that there is more that we can do. In January OpenNews published a Speaker Rider for Meaningfully Inclusive Events, a framework for speakers and events organisers to help create and maintain inclusive space for historically marginalised communities.

We have decided to adopt the principles of the Rider and make a commitment to fulfill at least 6 out of the 10 criteria listed within one year, and expanding beyond that.

Here are the 10 criteria, you can read more about each point in the Rider itself.

1. You demonstrate your commitment to being meaningfully inclusive across all parts of your event.
2. You gather speaker demographics and make the data easily accessible.
3. Your speakers are diverse.
4. You design your panels to not be all white or all male.
5. You make sure people from marginalized backgrounds are not all talking about their identity.
6. You budget for and clearly publicize meaningful, needs-based financial support for attendees who cannot afford to pay their own way.
7. You budget for and clearly publicize meaningful, needs-based financial support for speakers who cannot afford to pay their own way.
8. You ensure an accessible, inclusive, and welcoming space.
9. You know who is coming to your conference.
10. You have a strong, enforceable code of conduct with a thorough response plan.

We know this is a work in progress and we have a long way to go to improve on all fronts.

We hope that as part of our community you can help us achieve these goals and hold us accountable for our commitment.