Unicorns Are Actually Terrifying: Diversity for Diversity's Sake

Unicorns Are Actually Terrifying: Diversity for Diversity's Sake Nishat Anjum | AlterConf 2017

Nishat Anjum (knee-shot ann-jhum) @thathijabae

unicorn noun | uni·corn | \ ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯrn
Dictionary: a mythical usually white animal generally depicted with the body and head of a horse with long flowing mane and tail and a single often spiraled horn in the middle of the forehead Tech: a person or company that is a singular oddity, unheard of, passed off as unique even if that is not the case

imposter syndrome noun | im·pos·tor syn·drome | \ im-ˈpä-stər ˈsin-ˌdrōm
an inability to internalize accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud"

Unicorns don’t exist. How can you be represented if you don’t exist?

You can not keep pushing for more diversity while labeling marginalized people in tech as oddities.

Telling underrepresented groups that the few peers they see working within the field have accomplished the impossible discourages them from even trying.

The pipeline issue is a unicorn too. It {kinda} doesn’t exist. It isn’t the biggest contributing factor.

Gender & Diversity: Computer Science BS Degrees 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Gender & Diversity at Major Tech Companies 2015

Initiatives that place emphasis on diversity on a core value level provide inclusivity for all.

Adopting diversity on the surface level will hurt in the long run. No one wants to feel as though they’re another number to meet the quota.

● Train to overcome unconscious bias. ● Diversify recruitment locations. ● Put empathy back into whiteboarding interviews. ● Consider skills that come out of experiences other than coding.

Look at all of these “unicorns”