On April 30-May 1, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Diversity Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. G. K. Butterfield (NC) and Barbara Lee (CA) welcomed Rep. Maxine Waters (CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Gregory Meeks (NY), also a member of the Financial Services Committee, to the third CBC TECH 2020 delegation to Silicon Valley. Below, you will find a report regarding the visit.
A. During this trip, the members of Congress met four tech CEOs — Brian Chesky (Airbnb), Tim Cook (Apple), Jack Dorsey (Square & Twitter), and Dan Schulman (Paypal). The members proposed a tech CEO summit,where leaders of major tech companies must come together to determine specific actions needed to increase minority representation and inclusion in the industry.
B. The members focused on the Black employee experience, why Black employees leave tech, access to capital and technology for Black startups and existing small businesses, and the overall climate for Blacks living in Silicon Valley.
C. The members also met with more than 15 organizations that are growing the Black talent pipeline in the tech industry, 30 Black tech employees, 10 diversity directors from small and large companies, and several Black startup founders and investors.
D. The first CBC TECH TALK was held in Silicon Valley. This town hall-style event focused on developing strategies for building Black wealth in tech. The event was moderated by Bloomberg reporter, Aki Ito, and was streamed live. The members also recorded a live podcast with educational institutions and nonprofits focused on workforce development and growing the talent pipeline.
E. The members released the CBC TECH 2020 S.M.A.R.T. Principles for growing Black wealth in tech. The five principles provide a guide for the tech industry to maintain its global competitiveness while ensuring the wealth created is shared by all. In the coming weeks, the CBC Diversity Task Force will convene a series of meetings with stakeholders and tech companies to advance these principles and make bold commitments to a more inclusive tech economy.
F. As the discussion around regulation of the tech industry intensifies, members want to ensure that efforts to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities, public reporting of diversity data, and best practices for an inclusive work environment are part of the discussion. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was a frequent topic of discussion because the members met with several “fintech” firms and the law may serve as a guide for Congress when developing regulation that ensures tech companies help address the needs of the communities in which they operate and serve.
The CBC Members heard from a variety of stakeholders during their visit. In addition to the findings and recommendations the from the last trip, there were common themes from the May 2018 visit:
CBC Members meet with leaders of the Kapor Center for Social Impact
1. The Kapor Center for Social Impact has released some instructive recommendations to address both the lack of underrepresented minorities and lack of sense of belonging at the companies that merit further action:
2. The CBC Diversity Task Force provided recommendations after their last Silicon Valley visit.
3. The CBC TECH 2020 S.M.A.R.T. Principles provide guidance as well.
A. Meetings with Major Tech Firms
In meetings with CEOs and senior executives at the country’s foremost tech companies, members pressed for action including:
B. Meeting with Diversity Directors
In order to identify best practices for diversity and inclusion, to gain a better understanding of the challenges the companies faced in increasing the number of underrepresented minorities, and to encourage the companies to work together to scale initiatives that increase Black representation, the members met with Diversity Directors from large and small companies.
C. Round Table with Nonprofits Advancing Diversity and Inclusion
Members participated in a round table at Merritt College’s Barbara Lee Allied Health Building, which featured leaders from various nonprofits in the Bay area working to advance diversity and inclusion. Stakeholders at this convening sustain a robust pipeline of Black tech employees through various ways from formal education and apprenticeships to coding boot camps. The biggest takeaway from this round table was that all individuals — from students to apprentices — who aspire to become tech employees struggle with structural racism. These must be remedied in order to ensure a diverse tech workforce.
D. Black Employee Round Table
Members also met with extremely impressive Black employees from a variety of companies who work in all levels of the tech hierarchy. During this round table, members heard firsthand about the struggles Black individuals face once they enter the tech sector — from lack of career development opportunities and mentors, to their lack of support in negotiating fair compensation packages. Some employees also shared moving and powerful personal stories about the adversity they face on a regular basis at work. Despite the adversity, Members are convinced that these talented young people are the future of the industry.
E. CBC TECH TALK: Building Black Wealth in Tech
Members hosted the first public CBC TECH TALK at Lyft’s San Francisco headquarters on May 1st to discuss how we can increase wealth in the Black community by growing Black startups, encouraging Black VC investments, and empowering communities through skill building and investment. The audience included tech employees, as well as Black founders and venture capitalists.
The CBC TECH TALK streamed live on the Congressional Black Caucus Facebook page:
The American economy and our communities are stronger when everyone benefits from shared prosperity. However, income inequality, low household wealth, worker displacement and low resourced communities threaten the growth of the technology industry and our economic stability.
While the CBC celebrates the growth of the tech industry and the innovations it produces, the Caucus is concerned that the industry’s lack of Black representation leaves talent on the field that could fuel greater discoveries and keep the industry’s competitive edge. Studies have shown that greater racial and ethnic diversity leads to more productive teams and higher financial returns.
So, the CBC developed a set of principles to guide S.M.A.R.T. growth in the technology industry that is shared widely in diverse communities and parts of the country. Success will require business, government, and nonprofits working in partnership to support an innovative economy that is built to last.
SUPPORT STEAM EDUCATION & JOB TRAINING
MAKE TECH AVAILABLE & AFFORDABLE
ADDRESS ECONOMIC STABILITY OF COMMUNITIES
RECRUIT & RETAIN BLACK TALENT
TARGET INVESTMENTS IN DIVERSE COMPANIES & COMMUNITIES
Nearly three years ago, in August 2015, the CBC Diversity Task Force traveled to Silicon Valley to learn more about the challenges tech companies were facing with increasing Black representation, to push for CEO commitments to improve diversity and regular public reporting of diversity numbers, and for the appointment of a senior person in the company with responsibility for leading diversity efforts.
Company engagement in 2015: Apple, Google, Intel, Pandora Radio, SAP
In October 2017, the task force visited with tech companies, Black employees, and non profit organizations to get a progress report after the initial visit. Seeing limited progress, the members consistently heard concerns about the Black employee experience at tech companies, which can also lead to challenges retaining these employees. Additionally, members heard that Black founders and venture capital investors were building companies that were more diverse but faced challenges with access to capital.
Company engagement in 2017: Airbnb, Facebook, Hustle, Intel, Lyft, Salesforce, TaskRabbit, Twitter, Uber
Therefore, the members focused on the Black employee experience during their May 2018 trip. Additionally, the wanted more information on the retention of Black employees at tech companies, access to capital and technology for Black startups and existing small businesses, and the overall climate for Blacks in Silicon Valley.
Company engagement in 2018: Airbnb, Apple, Dropbox, eBay,Google, Lyft, Paypal, Pinterest, Square, Twitter
A. CBC TECH 2020
B. Pay Inequity for Black and White Tech Employees
Study Shows Black Coders Are More Likely to Get Job Offers — but for Less Money
Black People In Tech Are Still Paid Less Than White People According to Hired
C. Minority Inclusion and Impact on Competitiveness & Profits
Delivering Through Diversity McKinsey & Company Study
Five Eye-Opening Statistics About Minorities in Tech
D. Lack of Black Inclusion
The Leaky Tech Pipeline: A Comprehensive Framework for Understanding & Addressing the Lack of Diversity Across the Tech Ecosystem
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Report of Diversity In Tech
Why Tech Degrees Are Not Putting More Blacks & Hispanics Into Tech Jobs
State of Diversity & Inclusion in U. S. Tech
Tech Leavers Study — Why Minorities Voluntarily Leave Tech
Recode: Black lawmakers will visit Silicon Valley next week to talk to Apple, Square, PayPal and others about workplace diversity
The Washington Post: Black lawmakers visit Silicon Valley to press Apple, Twitter and other tech giants on diversity
Axios: Congressional Black Caucus: Big Tech is dawdling on diversity
The Hill: Black lawmakers press companies on diversity during Silicon Valley trip
SF Gate: Congresswoman Barbara Lee discusses tech economy in Oakland
The Daily Caller: Congressional Black Caucus: Silicon Valley Not Diverse Enough
News One: Auntie Maxine Snatching Wigs In Silicon Valley: CBC Demands More Diversity In Tech
Recode: Black lawmakers are impatient with tech’s lack of diversity and are threatening regulation to force the issue
Black Enterprise: Congressional Black Caucus Takes Its Diversity Fight to Silicon Valley’s Home Turf
The Verge: The Congressional Black Caucus says some Silicon Valley companies have ‘gone backwards’ on diversity
Blavity: The Lack Of Diversity In Tech Is So Striking, The Congressional Black Caucus Is Stepping In With Legislative Proposals To Fix It
Fortune: raceAhead: The Congressional Black Caucus Visits Silicon Valley
New York Times: Tech’s Race Problem Beyond the Numbers
This article was published on Medium.