On May 25, 2020, the world witnessed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. This led to a racial reckoning across the country.
People and organizations started to have conversations about how to dismantle systemic racism in the weeks that followed. June 2, 2020 would become "Blackout Tuesday," where companies and corporations wanted to be on the right side of history. They posted black boxes with commitments to fight racism all over social media. Some of these companies hired ad agencies to create clever campaigns, commercials to show that they will do more for diversity and inclusion.
Then a lot of people -- especially Black people -- wanted more than words. They wanted action, and they questioned whether these companies would even follow through with their statements.
Who will keep these companies accountable?
A young data journalist by the name of Sherrell Dorsey, took it upon herself to track over 200 of the biggest tech companies’ statements and promises in a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet not only included links to the statements, but also the companies’ diversity reports, the number of Black employees, the percentage of Black people in leadership and technical roles and even HBCU recruitment efforts. According to the spreadsheet, these companies have pledged close to $400 million dollars to dismantle systemic racism.
You can find that spreadsheet on a site called The Plug. Dorsey is the founder and CEO of the news subscription site covering Black tech and innovation. Started in 2016 as a daily newsletter, The Plug now has grown into an emerging media startup with thousands of subscribers (including me) and has raised over $500,000 in equity-free capital. She has attracted advertisers like Goldman Sachs and Capital One because of her exclusive, data-driven content and her diverse audience.
Dorsey is not only shining a light on Black innovators and founders, but also the issues that affect them. I wanted to shine a light on her work and its impact on the tech industry with this brand new podcast.
