#2 Being Black in tech
#2 Being Black in tech
This edition is focused on the experiences of Black tech workers. We are excited to share an interview with Kristal Conner, a Black activist, advocate, and survivor. Let’s dismantle discrimination in tech together.
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#TechTruths
In our TechTruths campaign we are gathering stories of discrimination across the tech industry with the goal of drawing attention to the scope of the problem. Below is a sampling of the stories we’ve received. These stories focus on the experiences of Black employees. You can read all the stories on our website, and can submit your own here.
Content Warning: Racism
TechTruth #32: "He then goes on to tell me 'I have a friend who is black as night but I don't care if you're purple or polka dot; I don't see color.'" (full story)
TechTruth #116: "You can either make a stand and have your career limited or accept racism should be the norm and move on." (full story)
TechTruth #100: "I asked my teammates to go, and one response I got was that there was no point in learning about this stuff, because we would never be on a team with Black people." (full story)
TechTruth #70: "He was disappointed that our company wasn't observing MLK Day. The White guy sitting beside me replied something like: 'That's okay, we can take you out to KFC for lunch!'" (full story)
TechTruth #49: “At Amazon I worked with a Black man who was working on his promotion to SDEII. Getting promoted was anything but easy for him: he wasn’t even being treated with respect by his teammates, let alone being held to the same bar for promotion.” (full story)
TechTruth #20:"A white male colleague of mine found a distribution list called BlackChicksWhoCode. He said 'Look! This is so racist! Where's the one for WhiteDudesWhoCode?'" (full story)
At Issue
For this edition, we spoke to Kristal Conner about her experiences in the tech industry and what she thinks needs to change. Here is Kristal in her own words,
“Hello I’m Kristal Conner. I’m an activist, advocate, and survivor. I’ve recently retired from 15 years in the Edtech and Big tech space to launch social justice, philanthropic, and health advocacy programs for marginalized communities. Connect with me on LinkedIn.”
Companies do a lot of public PR about their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and other social and environmental causes. Do you think their behavior matches up to their words?
“No. Companies do what they must to preserve their brand reputation and profits. Solidarity statements for many companies ring hollow as we’ve seen time and time again. Before BLM, there were plenty of public lawsuits and settlements, protests, and attrition because of hostile, toxic, racist work environments. Employers were slow to move then and had no incentive to support their black employees. The incentive now seems to be avoiding backlash. Employees don’t need statements. Employees need action from employers and a workplace free from racial discrimination, micro-aggressions, bias, and pay disparities.”
What racism have you experienced in your career?
“It’s interesting because racism is very hard to prove. Many racists don’t believe they’re racist. Also a racist can easily explain away racist behavior with any excuse. ‘Oh, I didn’t mean to call you an angry black woman.’ ‘So sorry, I forgot to include you in the meetings.’ ‘I’m so sorry I forgot to cc you in the emails.’ ‘I’m not racist, I have 1 cousin that’s black.’ ‘I didn’t mean to make that slave joke.’ On and on. But what racists can’t explain away is a pattern of behavior. They also can’t explain away preferential treatment given to white employees and sheer neglect of black employees. Those things are provable and I became an expert at navigating and documenting those situations.
“I’ve encountered racists throughout my entire career. Having my work and ideas stolen numerous times. Being intentionally excluded from meetings involving my work for an entire year. Being gaslit when I’ve spoken up about racial discrimination. Being subject to slavery comments and jokes. Being told I look safe and smart because I’m a lighter skinned black woman. Having a manager tell me stories where his family would, in his words, ‘Take em round back. String em up. Feed em to the pigs.’ I can recount so many of these incidents. Each of them come with trauma.
“Whether these individuals knew it or not, they communicated to me that I didn’t belong, that I was not worthy or good enough to be in my role, despite being more qualified, certified, and more degreed than them and my peers. These individuals effectively communicated intimidation, isolation, and hostility through words and action. It was also very easy for them to do when I was the only black employee present. It was easy for HR and management to make the racist, discriminatory, and bias acts of others, my fault.”
Did you witness any other concerning racism or discrimination throughout your career?
“Absolutely. Black employees had their hair petted like animals. Black employees were denied promotions because someone didn’t like their attitude. Black employees were managed out because they spoke up against racism. Black employees were leveled down when they were qualified to be hired in at a high level. Black employees were made to do menial degrading tasks for managers. Black employees were terminated simply for being black while working. Black employees were paid less than their less qualified white counterparts.”
How did you respond to the things you experienced and witnessed? Did you find any support?
“I spoke up to management and HR. They did nothing but defend themselves and tell me my claims had no merit. I sought legal counsel. It was the only way to get justice. I’ve also helped others get justice as well. No one deserves to be subjected to racism anywhere, especially the workplace where your livelihood, opportunities and earning potential are at stake.”
How did these experiences impact you and how did you get through them?
“These experiences have taken a huge toll on my mental and physical health. The stress, fear, anxiety, and constant fight to be treated fairly and equally is exhausting. Expending the brainpower to do my job while also fighting against white employees, who are making my work life miserable, is devastating. Racism is a public health crisis. I don’t have a history of colon cancer in my family but I was diagnosed July 2020 at 36 years old. I can’t prove it but I know that the stress of enduring such hostile workplace experiences created recurring inflammation in my body and many ailments. I was very depressed and not in a position to help my body fight off the cancer. I’m currently on a much deserved career break though, my health has improved and I’m grateful to share that I’m cancer free.”
Do you think big tech companies are an anomaly among other companies, or do you think they are particularly toxic?
“The toxicity isn’t big tech or other company specific. We live in a toxic society with citizens that uphold white supremacy and enact racism in all its insidious forms against black people and people of color. This toxicity permeates all levels of society and particularly the workplace where we interact with each other the most. Companies are filled with people no different than Derek Chauvin, Dylan Roof, or George Zimmerman, etc; people who believe black people do not belong and have no right to exist in this country. When people, who hold these beliefs, are in positions of power in the workplace; they put our lives, careers, reputation, and wealth generation at risk. By 2053, black households will have a median wealth of zero.”
How do you think tech workers can be more anti-racist in the workplace?
“Despite the racism I’ve faced throughout my career, there have been several non-black allies who have supported me. They spoke up when they saw horrible things happening. They risked retaliation and blacklisting for being anti-racist. They partnered with POC colleagues and educated themselves on how to be allies. They made referrals to people in their network that could help. I think tech workers can be more anti-racist by being courageous and empathetic. It takes a tremendous amount of courage, fearlessness, and empathy to fight racism, especially when you’re someone who has never experienced it. I’m truly thankful for my anti-racist colleagues who used their voice and leveraged their privilege to be in solidarity with me.”
What do you think big tech companies need to change?
“They should change their hiring practices so that bias is eliminated from the entire intake/interview process. They should mandate diversity and inclusion training for all executives, managers, employees, and contractors. Diversity and inclusion metrics and goals should be tied to leadership compensation. Employees should have a safe space to report hostile work experiences to an entity outside of HR. Companies should be more transparent regarding racial composition of management vs employee roles. They should investigate deeper into black employee attrition. They should terminate perpetrators of hostile, racist, and discriminatory acts; not give them a warning or transition them throughout the company.”
What are you up to now?
“Now, I’m enjoying my career break and digging into my passion projects. I’m currently serving as Director of Strategy, Outreach, and Research for the Individual and Corporate Accountability project; a grassroots project dedicated to holding companies accountable to the statements of solidarity issued in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. If you are interested in getting involved, email DiscoTech at hello@discotech.tech or DM on Twitter and they will connect us!
“I’m developing CRC (Colorectal Cancer) Under 50, an education and advocacy org helping folks under 50 early-detect and prevent colorectal cancers.
“I’m a contributor for the Interracial Sisterhood Community, a network of powerhouse women fighting institutionalized racism.
“I’m also working on an app with my boyfriend called CoupleMates, helping couples connect via social events in their local community.”
Things to check out
In the news:
Bias, disrespect, and demotions: Black employees say Amazon has a race problem
Slack Backtracks on New Way to Message Over Harassment Concern
Google advised mental health care when workers complained about racism and sexism
What We’re Up To
Amazon shareholder resolution
Last year, we filed a shareholder resolution at Amazon asking for a report on promotion velocity broken down by gender and race. We have resubmitted the resolution this year and it passed an SEC challenge from Amazon! Check out the recording of Amazon employees that we played last year at the annual shareholder meeting. This year, Amazon is not allowing resolution filers to submit a recording with more than one voice in it. We’d like to think that our powerful message last year got to them!
Other random fun
Watching all the seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race
Applying to (and getting!) new jobs 👩💻 👨💻
Getting vaccinated!
And Action!
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About DiscoTech
We are a diverse group of cross-tech organizers who are committed to ending discrimination in the workplace -- discrimination by race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, immigration status, etc.
We aim to work within and outside of existing processes inside the tech industry not only to increase awareness of discrimination but also to help institute large-scale changes to end it.
DiscoTech is on Twitter and Instagram. Information on how to submit a story, subscribe to the newsletter, or get involved is on the DiscoTech website.
We’re here for you!
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