A presentation at AlterConf San Francisco 2017 in in San Francisco, CA, USA by Nishat Anjum
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”
"Unicorn" is a trite umbrella term often used to label people who aren't traditionally seen in tech. This alienates and isolates both people who are currently in tech or wish to enter it. In this talk I'll be delving into some issues with companies who adopt diversity on a surface level and how they can better tweak their initiatives, as well as talk about my experiences navigating the industry as a so called "unicorn". I will also touch upon the fear of being wanted solely for being a unicorn or how diversity for diversity's sake is actually causing a bottleneck effect in the pipeline.
Here’s what was said about this presentation on social media.
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