A desire for more events, networking, collaboration, mentorship, education, funding, and sense of belonging runs through Seattle’s Black tech community. A gathering Thursday night proved how valuable those pursuits can be among people with shared experiences and challenges.
The ongoing series “Black Tech Night” marked one year since its launch with an event at Vera Project at Seattle Center, where roughly 200 people turned out to mingle and take in a panel discussion titled “Multigenerational Black Experiences in Tech.”
‘I remember how important it was for us to support each other. And I hope [this] generation sees how important it is to keep up the fight.’
— Trish Millines Dziko, TAF executive director
The goal, beyond just gathering, is to continue to move the needle on Black representation in an industry where just 7% of jobs are held by Black employees. And the timing is crucial as reports have found diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts under increased scrutiny in America, and those programs at tech companies are especially vulnerable in the face of ongoing layoffs.
University of Washington computer science student Abdi Ibrahim was among those in attendance Thursday. He was just the type of young person who could benefit from the experience and knowledge in the room.
“It makes me happy to see more Black people in tech,” said Ibrahim, who is interested in software engineering and cybersecurity. “It shows me what’s possible, that other people in Seattle that look like me have made it. I know the future is going to be a lot different.”
Black Tech Night kicked off last year with an inaugural event featuring Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.
Thursday’s panelists included: Moderator James Miles, creative economy manager, Seattle Office of Economic Development; Monique L. Thompson, chief of staff, Amazon Alexa Sales and Marketing; Joshua Donaldson, senior data governance analyst, Electronic Arts; and Trish Millines Dziko, executive director, Technology Access Foundation.
GeekWire previously spoke with Miles about his new role with the City and his goals for connecting Seattle’s creative and tech communities.
Keep reading for some highlights from Thursday’s discussion, edited for brevity and clarity:
On what makes each panelist proud to be Black, and Black in tech.
- Monique Thompson, who started in tech 35 years ago, said the thing that makes her most proud right now is her son, seated next to her. “It is no surprise to anyone in this room that it is an uphill battle in tech when you look like us. To have the opportunity and to be fortunate enough that my son has followed in tech and in my footsteps, I can’t think of anything to be more proud of.”
- Joshua Donaldson, who recently started his dream job at video game company Electronic Arts, returned the favor to his mom. “Growing up as a second-gen tech person you get to see someone who’s constantly fighting for the success and the advancement of Black people in that space. To be here, in a space like this, having grown up in an environment watching her fight, and to see it’s actually working? That is what makes me proud to be Black and Black in tech.”
- “I’m a child of the ’60s and ’70s and grew up in a segregated town,” said Trish Millines Dziko. “You can’t help but be proud.” Millines Dziko said she was one of three Black students in computer science at Monmouth University. “I remember how important it was for us to support each other. I also have a son who’s in tech, and I’m really proud that he decided to follow in my footsteps. And I hope that his generation sees how important it is to keep up the fight.”
On the power of community, in a city like Seattle and sector like tech.
- Millines Dziko remembered working at Microsoft in the days before advocacy groups for underrepresented employees. “When we saw Black folks, we would say, ‘New black person!’ and we’d add them to the [email] distribution list, because there was no alias at the time. I feel like we need to be kinder to each other. I think it’s super important that we find a way to support each other to continue the legacy. Take action, support this community so that next year, when we come here for this, this place is like double, triple the number of people.”
On bringing your whole self to work, especially in mixed company.
- “I’m lucky. With my own personal team at EA, I can be myself,” said Donaldson. “But that is completely because the other people on my team who are mixed company are themselves. They show up, they’re vulnerable. They’re honest, they’re open, they’re transparent. And because they are it lets me be so.” But he added that testing those waters and reading the response is still necessary. “Outside of my team, I find myself checking myself and maybe being a little more reserved, or being a little bit more extra articulate. It is hard, because it does feel like you are denying yourself.”
- “I can’t remember a time that I did not show up as my authentic self. I was always that weird kid anyway,” Millines Dziko said. “By the time I got through college and my first couple of jobs, I was already just being myself. And many times, they say ignorance is bliss, I was pretty ignorant to how people were seeing me. And that was probably good because I can just keep being myself.”
On changing the sector and getting more young Black people in tech jobs.
- Thompson remembered in her early days at Microsoft that she didn’t have “a me” — someone that looked like her and could help her maneuver certain situations and take the right next steps. She said in some families, perhaps not Black, generational knowledge of a profession is passed down, to help younger people learn and get ahead. “They tell them the game, and then they give the cheat codes. My job and my goal is to give everybody that I can the cheat codes.”
This Black Tech Night was presented by the Seattle Office of Economic Development and SeaCiti, a program of the Washington Technology Industry Association, in partnership with Google, Microsoft, F5, and Lyft.
