Happy spooky season! We hope you had a fantastic month and are excited to move into the holidays. As usual, we have accumulated some things we think you will like. Let’s get right into the content. 💪
✨ Here’s one of our favorite things from the past month.✨
We have begun our first ever events series! The Inclusive Webinar Series is entirely focused on expanding our vision for the UIT brand: bringing a voice to those who are often not heard in tech. Check out the published webinars and let us know what you’ve learned! We would love to hear from you.
Many systems are built without underrepresented people in mind, or in ways that take advantage of them. That means that many times, being a minority in some way means you have to pay more for things, or pay for additional things, that many others don’t need. In this episode Allie and Michelle discuss why and how it can be more expensive to live a life as a disabled person, a woman, a black person, etc. Catch a glimpse into the details of a life you may not be living and let’s build empathy together!
Diverse voices testing WordPress means the end result includes a wider spectrum of perspectives –Test WordPress
We support following and respecting community codes of conduct, always – Give this a read
✨ Newest additions to the database!
In each monthly newsletter, get introduced to some of the most recent professionals who have added themselves to the Underrepresented in Tech database!
🔥 Hot Take from Michelle: Inspiration – Sincere, or Lip Service? 🔥
We’ve mentioned it in episodes before, but I’ve been pondering more lately what someone means when they say “you’re such an inspiration!”
Are you talking about the work they do, or are you talking about something else?
It’s true that we can all be inspired by so many things. Nature. Great art. Even and excellent meal. But if you tell someone who is underrepresented that they inspire you, please back it up with something inspirational.
For example, when someone tells me that they’re inspired by me because they love the work I do in the community, that’s awesome, and it makes me feel really good about myself. But when someone sees my disability and says that I inspire them either because I’m disabled or in spite of my disability, that’s not a great feeling. It can come across really patronizingly.
Think about it – would you like it if someone said you’re inspirational because of what you accomplish in spite of being blonde? Or short? Or thin? No. People want to be lauded for the work they do. Not because they managed to do it “while being ________.” (Fill in the blank.)
So remember, the next time you want to praise someone, make sure you’re doing so for the work they do and how that inspires you.
