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-Short Attention Span Theater-

Jesse Jackson to take on tech's lack of diversity

2014-03-20

[NEWS.YAHOO] The Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to lead a delegation to the Hewlett-Packard annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday to bring attention to Silicon Valley's poor record of including blacks and Latinos in hiring, board appointments and startup funding.

Jackson's strategy borrows from the traditional civil rights era playbook of shaming companies to prod them into transformation. Now he is bringing it to the age of social media and a booming tech industry known for its disruptive innovation.

"We're talking about a sector that responds to future trends," says Ronald C. Parker, president and CEO of the Executive Leadership Council, a group of current and former African-American Fortune 500 executives who work to increase diversity at the top levels of American business. "He's speaking at one organization. I'm sure the people at Hewlett-Packard have and will continue to put some focus on it. Whether it will accelerate is to be seen. But it's a start."

Earl "Butch" Graves Jr., president and CEO of Black Enterprise magazine, says Jackson is shining a light on the fact that technology companies don't come close to hiring or spending what is commensurate with the demographics of their customers.

"Hopefully, what Rev. Jackson is doing will bring attention to the 800-pound gorilla in the room that nobody wants to talk about. It's high time that gets addressed," Graves says.

It's widely recognized that the tech industry lacks diversity: About one in 14 tech workers is black or Latino both in the Silicon Valley and nationally. Blacks and Hispanics make up 13.1 and 16.9 percent of the U.S. population, respectively, according to the most recent census data.

"Technology is supposed to be about inclusion, but sadly, patterns of exclusion remains the order of the day," Jackson wrote in a letter released Monday to Apple Inc., Twitter Inc., Facebook Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Google
...contributed $814,540 to the 2008 Obama campaign...
Inc. and others.

Posted by:Fred

#31 It seems to me he pulled this crap several years ago. One of the leading lights in computers (Gates, Jobs, Ellison etc.) said - send them to me. We would be glad to hire them if we could find them.

Let's face it - majoring in computer science or engineering is not easy. Not everyone can do it - that is why computer people earn more than the average burger slinger. It's called supply and demand.

Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2014-03-20 21:40

#30 He's not c# enough.

Yeah, it's nerdy, but that works as Snark of the Day for me!

Posted by: SteveS 2014-03-20 19:59

#29 Anybody that can't see through this extortionist by now deserves whatever they agree to be shaken down for.

Posted by: tu3031 2014-03-20 12:49

#28 Given the cost of an education these days, they probably did the right thing.

Posted by: gorb 2014-03-20 12:41

#27 Notice how Jesse carefully avoids the issue of Asians and Indians in tech, as it would blow the "racism" argument to pieces. Actually, Bengalis and Tamils are darker than most blacks and should be subject to more discrimination.

I have known several Blacks in IT. Most have done very well, but many were born in Africa or the Caribbean.

As for Latinos, the issue seems to be lack of schooling. Latinos (especially men) tend to drop out of school early and go into business. One guy I know dropped out of 8th grade and then wrote several books on programming.

Al

Posted by: Florida Al 2014-03-20 12:27

#26 He's not c# enough.

Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2014-03-20 11:49

#25 Have 'em sign up at Codecademy.

Posted by: charger 2014-03-20 11:46

#24 I'm disappointed. I thought Jesse was going to learn C++

Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2014-03-20 11:34

#23 I work with a very diverse population; in fact I am often the only American Caucasian in the room during meetings and projects. We certainly look diverse and on paper for HR we are but the reality is that very few grew up American.

Posted by: Airandee 2014-03-20 10:50

#22 I work with a number of good, young black engineers. In fact, at the moment I work FOR one (though he's English of Nigerian heritage, and I don't much care for his (micro-)managerial style.)

Posted by: Glenmore 2014-03-20 10:35

#21 How did Paragraph 5 survive?

Consider the source?

Posted by: Pappy 2014-03-20 10:26

#20 JFM, I have worked with young black engineers who were right out of college. One is female and she is really sharp.

Posted by: Deacon Blues 2014-03-20 09:39

#19 Anyone wish to discuss vestigial function as a normal process? I thought not. Sorry.

Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-20 09:37

#18 Oh, and Zenobia eats Jesse's lunch for rhyming and rapping. Don't you have a son in prison to worry about?

Posted by: Frank G 2014-03-20 09:27

#17 POS race-hustler extortionist. Tell him to submit his complaint in binary code

Posted by: Frank G 2014-03-20 09:26

#16 I thought silicon valley had plenty Indians---some of whom are, just a bit, darker than the esteemed reverend?

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-03-20 09:24

#15 I guess it depends on your definition of diversity, we know what Jesse's is. In an office of about 120 people, we have a couple of Blacks and maybe 15 or so women. But we are also probably 60% non-European decent, with people from all over Asia including India, the Middle East, my boss is Welch, and although I've worked with plenty of South Americans over the years, in the past couple of years I work with a Mexican, a pleasure to work with. It is very diverse, just not in Jesse's definition, because it doesn't serve his interests

I love this nym....

Posted by: Spanky Dribble1198 2014-03-20 09:15

#14 Count the number of Indians and Chinese

You mean parents that insist that their children actually achieve academics in school rather than insisting the school dumb down academics for their children's self esteem? /rhet question

Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-03-20 09:07

#13 My first question was "What's the percentage of blacks and Hispanics in IT programs?"

The bizniss is very inclusive, actually. Count the number of Indians and Chinese. When you're down to the remainder, count the number of Eastern European accents and surnames.

Posted by: Fred 2014-03-20 09:00

#12 unable to integrate X**2dx.

See? Integration! It's all about inclusion!

Jesse is an inclusion on the face of Obama's people.

Posted by: Bobby 2014-03-20 08:15

#11 Deacon Blues. Have you worked with young Black engineers? My impression is the that due to "rapper culture" the African-American communisty is producing less and lees of them.

Also, before affirmative action a Blck engineer was as good or better than a White one. After it there is a chance he graduated despite being unable to integrate X**2dx. Jsu look at the guy in the Oval Office for a sample of a product of affirmative action.

Posted by: JFM 2014-03-20 07:00

#10 I've worked with several black engineers. All were very good at their jobs.

Posted by: Deacon Blues 2014-03-20 06:53

#9 Mr Jesse HJackson want to see Black engineers? Simple.

1) Remember about most Black children growing without a father? Result these children wander in streets instead of studying tghe maths you need to know in order to become an enginer. So start by hanging a few of these fathers to the nearest lamppost.

2) Shoot rappers and any moron you catch saying doing well in school is being White.

3) Give a good slap/beating to Black children/youngsters you catch wearing gangsta clothing. This is the first step towards dropping out of school

4) Last but not least become a Republican. You should be ashamed to be a member of the Party who has given Black peopple a few bucks in welfare in order to destroy the Black family and thus keep Blacks in the plantation. You should be ashamled to be a member of the slavery and KKK Party instead of the Lincoln's Party.

PS: Many Rantburgers including myself would gladly contribute to funding your expenses on ammo and rope.

1) Give a good rap to Black children and youngsters in gansta clothes or hairstyle

Shoot rappers and any moron you catch doing weel in school is

Posted by: JFM 2014-03-20 06:15

#8 How did Paragraph 5 survive?

Posted by: Shipman 2014-03-20 03:30

#7 Tech diversity and HP racism are not much of an issue in most of South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, or Uganda.

Don't be a whiny kaffir fok Jesse. Free yourself from this dreadful apartheid bondage and take your gifted arse elsewhere.

Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-20 03:02

#6 Hey Jessie "Remember the once great company of Xerox and the famous Xero Parc?" What did black ownership do to speed up it's demise to a stock in the $10 range?

Posted by: 3dc 2014-03-20 02:09

#5 Extortion is what it is.

How about white basketball players.

Here hoping HP tells Jesse To go F himself.

I don't want to work with or for an affirmative action 'engineer' no matter what. Pigment their skin is.

Posted by: CrazyFool 2014-03-20 01:29

#4 There were several very talented black chemical engineers in the R&D group I worked in back in the late '80s. The least talented one went on to profess at a business school closer to her family, but I assume the others have moved up through the ranks, as they were a pleasure to work with.

But when the culture says that doing well in school is being white, that makes it hard for students to do well in STEM courses that lead to tech jobs, however bright they might be.

Posted by: trailing wife 2014-03-20 00:32

#3 My memory must be really bad. I can't remember any of the black engineers who graduated with my class.

Posted by: gorb 2014-03-20 00:25

#2 "Technology is supposed to be about inclusion,

No, technology is about stuff that works. Making stuff work doesn't depend on your pigment, genitals or sexual preferences. It depends on knowledge, skill and determination to succeed.

... one in 14 tech workers is black or Latino... Blacks and Hispanics make up 13.1 and 16.9 percent of the U.S. population

Statistical sleight of hand. Hard to compare 1 in 14 to a percentage, but 1 in 14 is ~ 7 percent. Not quite so scary, eh? And if you are going to compare, use something like the percentage of Blacks/Hispanics with technical degrees, not the general population. I bet the numbers come out pretty close.

Jesse is just looking for another payday. As usual.

Posted by: SteveS 2014-03-20 00:24

#1 Black engineers are like Bigfoot.

You meet people who claim to have seen one, but nobody can produce the evidence.

Posted by: Black Charlie Jamble8148 2014-03-20 00:04

00:00