Congressional Black Caucus seeks measures to improve tech diversity

22 May Congressional Black Caucus seeks measures to improve tech diversity

he Congressional Black Caucus wants the tech industry to focus its innovative energy on building a more diverse workforce.

The 46-member caucus’ diversity task force hosts its CBC Tech 2020 event in Washington on Tuesday to let tech giants know that the influential group is looking for results.

Over the next five years, about 1.4 million new tech industry jobs are expected to be created, according to estimates from the Level Playing Field Institute. “We want to work with our friends (in the tech industry) to try to ensure that a large segment of the new hires are African Americans,” said Rep. G. K. Butterfield, D-N.C., the caucus chairman and task force member.

Diversity in the technology workforce has become a hot-button issue. This time last year, Google became among the first tech companies to release its diversity figures.

Its tech workforce skewed male (83% of tech workers were men) and white (60%), with blacks making up 1% of tech workers. Among company leadership, 72% of leaders were white; 23%, Asian; 2%, black; and 1%, Hispanic.

Subsequent releases of diversity figures from companies such as Apple, Facebook and Yahoo revealed similar diversity shortfalls. “The data we have seen coming from tech companies is deplorable and unacceptable and most of these companies recognize that,” Butterfield said.

Indeed, Google, Facebook, Intel, Apple and other companies have announced multimillion-dollar initiatives to improve diversity. “The numbers tell the story and action is long overdue,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. “Inclusion of African Americans in the tech workforce has been treated as an afterthought for far too long. As the momentum for change continues to build, companies are starting to see that innovation requires a representative and diverse workforce.”

But more than talk is needed, says Ben Jealous, a partner at Kapor Capital, a venture capital firm that invests to improve underserved communities, who is moderating the event.

“Silicon Valley is to America in the 21st century what Detroit was in the 20th century: It is our primary engine for growth. Unfortunately, it is not much more inclusive in the first part of this century than Detroit was at the start of the last,” Jealous said. “Ensuring that Silicon Valley evolves from its present situation as a ‘mirror-tocracy’ into an actual meritocracy requires that it will become inclusive. This lack of inclusion is both a matter of national concern and national interest.”

Tech company representatives have been invited to the caucus’ event, as are others involved in the diversity issue. With many firms approaching Congress about issues such as immigration, privacy and trade, caucus members wanted conversations to include corporate inclusion improvements from the board of directors on down through management and the rest of their workforces.

And the caucus will also stress investment in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, he said.

The 90-minute event will not be confrontational. However, Butterfield said, “we will not rule out a confrontation if it becomes (that). We want to work with these companies to try to connect them with qualified African-American students and individuals.”

After all, he said, they are “great consumers of technology, so it would just be fair to have better diversity. We want to make that happen.”

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