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Unwritten Diversity Code for Blacks and females in Technology

by Maya Johnson

Unwritten Diversity Code for Blacks and females in Technology

The Daily Herald released a story about an unwritten diversity code in Silicon Valley. Ana Medina, 20-year-old computer science major discovered this rule while at a Google Inc. developer conference.

While at the conference, Medina a guy had approached her and asked if she was given a free ticket because she was a girl. Not only that, but there was a photo of her from the event that was posted online, and then bombed with comments about her cleavage. Medina wanted to use her Twitter to say how the experience made her feel, but several of her friends told her it wasn’t a good idea to do so. They said it was the type of situation she had to shake off and let go.

“Don’t you dare advocate for diversity,” says 52-year-old black, executive officer of Brocade Communications, Lloyd Carney. “Your career would be over.” Daily Herald says Carney gives this advice to all newcomers.

It is better to let the work speak for itself and for blacks, females and other diversities in technology to show confidence in their work.

Another example the Daily Herald gave was of Caitie McCaffery, a developer for Microsoft Corp.’s Halo video game, who laughed after some men she was talking with asked her if she was someone’s girlfriend.

“If that stuff makes you angry,” Carney says, “it will hold you back. You can’t be angry. You have to be better than that.”

In Silicon Valley, blacks are a minority in the workplace, and the community as a whole. Diversities go through different obstacles in order to get into their dream fields, especially if that field is in technology.

To read the full story, go to Dailyherald.com.

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