Hi Community,
I have a few updates.
First, please continue or redirect your attention and support to the phenomenal work of Free Geek. I remain inspired by the organizations' work to return, recycle, distribute and produce digital access and literacy across communities that are systematically exploited and misrepresented. Their mission and ability to lead with actions, values, principles, and needs of the black and brown, low-income communities they serve is extraordinary. Juan Manuel Muro, JR. and staff have recently partnered with A Kids Co. and published A Kids Book About Digital Equity. Please buy one, gift one, and participate in local, national, and international efforts for digital equity.
May we all do better by utilizing their class analysis in discourses about Tech to counteract the deeply engrained paternalism in efforts serve “underrepresented” communities.
Next, the extent of subtle yet harmful behavioral norms, combined with both covert and obvious oppressive systems that control and limit our human dignity (and expression) in the workplace, underscores the critical need for DEI in every institution. Targeting or eliminating DEI initiatives, particularly after the modest advancements made during 2020s' symbolic allyship and demand for racial justice, bears an unsettling resemblance to the systemic patterns observed during the civil rights movement. Many have lost (or never had) confidence in their employers' capacity to reconcile harm and uphold evidence-based, value-driven approaches towards achieving true inclusion and equity. As I seek a new role to advance and sustain DEI objectives with a future employer, may we never dismiss the impact of these experiences.
Finally, as we enter Black History Month, I reflect on last year when I had the honor of curating a discussion and celebration centered on the sounds of resistance within the diaspora. We explored the historical significance of stepping, spoken word, and drumming. These sessions drew inspiration from a thought-provoking quote by the scholar and author Josh Myers: "Modes of resistance that also serve as methods of repair and transformation, leading us to live differently." Allow this insight and perspective to be your guide.
Thanks for recognizing such important ladies in your life😎 setting a great example