For decades, America has dealt with the horror of systems that plague the progression of certain groups. No matter the issue, there has been little shortage in the struggle to fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across a spectrum of sectors. Like any system riddled with backward thinking, the people impacted the most grow tired of the struggle and gain the strength to fight for what is owed to them. From slave revolts to the Civil Rights Movement to Women’s suffrage to the Stonewall Uprising — when people have had enough, they come together to demand change. Although the systemic oppressive nature of America has not been alleviated, the work of those who fight to dismantle said systems has caught the attention of certain politicians, policymakers, and companies. While some are just catching on, many have been side by side in the fight, creating space for equality to ring free. Although Meta doesn’t claim to get it all right, the tech giant is working to create a culture...

If there is one thing that we’ve learned in this past year, it’s that Black employees will not continue working at companies that don’t value them. Slack is learning this the hard way after recently sharing some of its diversity insights in an annual report. The company has 2,527 global employees, 516 of which were hired last year alone. Only 4.5 percent of Slack’s employees are Black, while 53.1 percent are white and 28.3 percent are Asian. The company said in the report that it has seen an “overall decline in underrepresented minorities,” which isn’t good since Slack continues to expand its team year over year. This report ultimately shows that Slack is lacking severely with its diversity and inclusion efforts, despite executives saying they want to implement change. “While we know we haven’t—and won’t—always get it right on the first try, we’re committed to listening to our employees, meeting them where they are with tools, resources and support that are most resonant for them,...

Streaming giant Netflix has made enormous strides in promoting more diverse content through avenues like Strong Black Lead, Netflix African Originals, and more. However, a diversity study commissioned by the company revealed there’s still much work to be done to offer more representation in TV and film. CNBC reports that this past Friday, Netflix unveiled a first-of-its-kind diversity study — led by founder and director of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Dr. Stacy L. Smith — to breakdown the makeup of Netflix’s on-screen talent, as well as the people behind-the-camera such as creators, producers, writers and directors. The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative — the leading think tank in the world studying diversity and inclusion in entertainment through research — regularly produces these in-depth reports on diversity in film and television in the industry. Within this recent study, Dr. Smith and her team examined all of the films and series Netflix commissioned between the...

Don’t talk about it, be about it! In the first-ever report of its kind, Netflix addresses inclusion within the company which they say in turn allows for a more inclusive platform for audiences. “Our work is internal first, it shows up in what we do externally,” said Vernā Myers, Netflix’s Vice President of Inclusion Strategy, in a short film that the company has released to showcase their findings. “If we’re creating the kinds of environments and policies and practices that not only invite people in but when they get in, they feel that there’s a level of investment in them, then we are going to see a real shift in our company and in the industries that surround us.” Inclusion was added as a cultural value for the company in 2017 and Netflix reveals they “weren’t as great as we thought we were or aspired to be.” In the short film, titled, “Sowing Seeds: Inclusion Takes Root At Netflix,” the company shares their latest strategies on diversity and inclusion not just in the consumer...

The consequences of the lack of diversity in tech can be severe. From algorithms that mistake Black people for gorillas to AI that can’t recognize dark-skinned women , tech has shown it needs to get it together and make their companies more representative of the world they operate in. Recently, Google released its fifth Diversity Annual Report . Although the tech numbers aren’t amazing, it shows some improvements over the past few years. To start, Google found its attrition rate — referring to how many employees leave a company annually — improved for almost every demographic. In general, Google saw improved attrition rates for employees of color in the United States, although that didn’t hold true for Native American employees. The greatest improvements happened with Black employees, mostly with Black men in both tech and non-tech roles.  The company also found that women are less likely to leave Google, and it’s a pattern that’s even stronger among women in tech roles. However,...