We believe in the importance of listening. In listening to the voices of the Black community, we hear their anger, their concern, and importantly, their recommendations for action to combat racism and discrimination in our country. We have always been, and will continue to be, committed to welcoming any woman or female-identifying individual, irregardless of color, race, ethnicity, religion, income level, or education access, seeking to be educated, inspired and connected to other women in tech to participate in our programs. 

In addition, we are taking the following additional actions. 

  • We will continue to ensure that we are bringing diverse voices to our stage by furthering our outreach to underrepresented groups. 
  • We have always set aside tickets to assist anyone who was unable to afford to attend, but we realize that this informal action is not enough. Beginning with our 2021 events, we are implementing a scholarship program to provide numerous tickets to those who are unable to afford to attend WITS. We are working out the details and we will be releasing more information on that program shortly. 

We are committed to continuing to listen and learn. As part of that commitment, we found the following as good resources to share:

Advocacy Toolkit from Obama Foundation

The BIPOC Project

Black Lives Matter 

Movement for Black Lives

NAACP

TED – Talks for understanding racism in America

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

If anyone experiences racism or discrimination as a result of their involvement in our programs, please contact us immediately (wits@techgirlz.org) and we will take the necessary action.