50+ firms sign pact to dismantle systemic racism in tech

Over 50 companies have signed an anti-racism pact to dismantle systemic racism in the US technology sector.

The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), a non-profit dedicated to building a strong, sustainable technology sector in a thriving community, created the Anti-racism in Tech Pact to address and tackle the systemic industry-wide racism. Under the Pact, WTIA, and more than 50 leading tech companies and educational institutions, will work together to overhaul current hiring practices, eliminate racial bias and micro-aggressions in the workplace. It also aims to ensure that US tech firms accurately reflect the population, in which they operate by 2025.

Although the Pact was formed in Washington State, it is open to companies nationwide, confirmed WTIA. Verizon, Lyft, Remitly, ExtraHop, University of Washington, Washington Department of Commerce, AT&T, and Fenwick & West are just some of the companies that are involved and helped to launch the initiative.

OVERT DISCRIMINATION

In 2019, 4.6 million new technology jobs were created in the US, with nearly 822,000 postings in emerging tech areas. Despite this huge opportunity and recent investments made by large employers, the entire tech sector continues to struggle with recruiting people of colour, pointed out WTIA. According to the Bureau of Labor Statics, the tech sector employs less than half workers from Black/Hispanic and other ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to any other sector in the country. Representation in management is even lower.

Furthermore, many employees from Black/Hispanic and minority ethnic backgrounds in tech face an inhospitable environment at work, receive lower compensation than their peers, and experience overt discrimination, according to The Kapor Center for Social Impact. This leads to a much higher voluntary turnover rate compared to their white counterparts.

DISMANTLING SYSTEMATIC RACISM

“We have a clear vision for dismantling racism in the technology industry, but we must first gain the trust of BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour] communities,” said Michael Schutzler, CEO, WTIA. “This Pact takes a first step to gaining that trust by committing signatories to sharing resources and firm goals around the diversity of their teams over a five-year period.”

Moving beyond lip-service in diversity, equity and inclusion “requires leaders to make serious commitments and step into focused action,” noted James Whitfield, Co-founder at Be Culture. “This is what the Pact represents, a genuine step forward to address systemic racism in the tech industry.” 

According to Heather Foster, Head of Policy Engagement and Strategic Partnerships at LYFT, “The first step in tackling industry-wide racism is making a commitment to do so, and we’re proud to take a stand alongside WTIA and these 50 other organisations. The Pact has a lot of work to do, and we’re eager to get started.” 

“Equity is a key underpinning of a resilient economy,” added Steven Maheshwary, Governor Inslee’s ICT Sector Lead, Washington Department of Commerce. “Our tech industry leads the nation in many ways, and I believe that will carry forward to leadership in addressing systemic racism. We are glad to see leading tech companies sign on to WTIA’s Anti-racism in Tech Pact and encourage others to do so as well.”  

SPEARHEADING CHANGE IN TECH 

ExtraHop’s Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer Raja Mukerji said his company is “committed to ending systemic racism”. “From the beginning we’ve focused on fostering a supportive and diverse workplace that empowers employees to be their whole self, to be heard, and to do their best work. We believe that the tech industry has a unique responsibility to radically spearhead change in our society,” he pointed out. “We’re honoured to join the Anti-racism in Tech Pact and work with the other signatories to move towards a better future.” 

Matt Oppenheimer, CEO, Remitly, believes his firm “is in the unique position to serve customers from around the globe, many of whom are marginalised in the countries in which they immigrate to for employment opportunities”. “It’s clearer than ever that racism remains present in our society and heavily influences the tech industry. And, with everything that has occurred this year, our resolve to eradicate oppressive systems has only deepened,” he stated. “We stand with WTIA and the Pact’s sponsors and signatories to oppose racism, prioritise changing our own policies and practices to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplace, and work collectively towards changing the face of the tech sector in the US.”

THE ANTI-RACISM IN TECH PACT

Signatories of the Anti-racism in Tech Pact are committed to ending systemic racism within their own companies, as well as actively collaborating and sharing resources to ensure the success of all participants. Pact signatories state they will:

• Work diligently to ensure that within five years of signing this Pact, their company fully reflects the populations in which they operate, including the board of directors, management, and all employees. For example, in King County today this would mean approximately 6% Black and 9% Latinx, and nationally, this would mean 18% Black and 14% Latinx. 
• Fully educate their teams on implicit bias, cultural awareness, and anti-racism in the workplace. 
• Share best practices on how to effectively recruit, develop, and retain people of colour with other Pact signatories. 
• Share ideas on how to build a lasting change in behavior with the goal of delivering more equitable outcomes in the workplace. 
• Share specifics of their company’s approach and the results of those efforts on a semi-annual basis.

The Pact has already started to convene for educational sessions on racial bias and microaggressions, cultural awareness and anti-racism in the workplace; knowledge sharing around best practices on how to recruit, develop, and retain people of colour; and frameworks on how to deliver more equitable outcomes in the workplace. 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION OFFICE

To encourage and support these efforts, WTIA is building a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Office, that will serve members of the Pact, thanks to the financial and programmatic support of pact members, such as Verizon, Fenwick & West, AT&T. The DEI Office serves as a strategic partner in planning, and implementing changes needed to eliminate systemic racism in their organisations. 

The DEI Office will provide Pact members access to pools of diverse talent; subject matter expertise around building equitable recruiting processes; a network of vetted, high-quality DEI trainers and consultants; panels of diverse experts willing to inform and guide critical policy and process choices; advice to senior leadership around the equity effects of decisions made by the organisation; and advocacy on behalf of under-represented employees, interns, contractors, partners, customers, etc. WTIA is in the final stages of recruiting a Chief Diversity Officer to lead the DEI office and guide Pact members as they work to increase diversity across their workforces.

“We need to address the historical underrepresentation of people of colour at all levels in the tech industry,” explained Rudy Reyes, west region Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Verizon. “We are honoured to join WTIA and the 50 other companies to establish workplace practices to eliminate systemic and entrenched racism and promote diversity and inclusion within the industry. We hope to inspire others to follow our lead and spearhead similar initiatives in Washington state and beyond.” 

DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS

Championing diversity and fostering inclusion “makes us a better company and contributes to a world where people are empowered to be their very best”, commented Bob Bass, President – Washington, Alaska, & Hawaii, External & Legislative Affairs at AT&T. “WTIA is doing important work to prioritise and strengthen these values within Washington State’s tech community.”

“Fenwick is proud to sponsor and sign on to the Anti-Racism in Tech Pact and its mission to open avenues into the tech sector for talented professionals from diverse backgrounds,” added Fenwick & West partner-elect Katherine Duncan, who is based in the firm’s Seattle office. “Working with groundbreaking tech and life sciences companies is such a rewarding experience, and it’s exciting that Fenwick is part of this tech industry coalition to make this dynamic sector more inclusive and diverse.”

Heather Redman, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Flying Fish Partners, believes that “investors hold disproportionate power in our society, controlling both who can build something new in the world and who has the opportunity to build wealth and therefore power”. “Venture capital firms, like our firm Flying Fish Partners, are rarely owned or run by diverse people, rarely invest in diverse founders, and rarely have diverse investors,” she admitted. “We must change that, and, when we do, we will unlock unprecedented economic growth and untold benefits to society.” 

All organisations across the US are welcome to participate in the Anti-racism in Tech Pact. To view the full list of signatories, sign the Pact, and/or download the Pact Roadmap, click here.