Amid protests, social media silence and the ultimate arrests of four Minneapolis officers that had George Floyd in their custody when he died, Tampa Bay's tech community is speaking out.
Synapse Florida issued a statement and hosted a panel on diversity and inclusion Tuesday night. Likewise, Embarc Collective and Tampa Bay Tech provided their thoughts, along with national tech organizations like Twitter, Microsoft and Amazon.
"Right now, the sentiment is to be anti-racist and people want to feel they're anti-racist," Nancy Vaughn, principal at White Book Agency, said. "With it, they're looking at their executive board, if they have hired people of color, and right now, we're having that reckoning of, 'It's time to look.' It's tragic in order to have that, the protests had to happen. But, I think when it starts to affect your pocketbook — the other color we care about, green — then we pay attention."
For 68-year-old Ralph Smith, the founder of Computer Mentors Group, the current climate coupled with the coronavirus pandemic has made it 'the worst situation I have witnessed.'
"But it does give me hope," Smith said. "The hope I have is that at least it looks like we are ready to start talking about race, racism and its impact on our communities. We’ve been saying that we are all in this together. I have hope that the young folks out protesting actually take that to heart. "
Bethanie Nonami, CEO at marketing technology company Marley Nonami, was also cautiously optimistic on the possible change that could occur within both the business community and ecosystem at large. However, she said, executives need to put in the work.
"When it comes to business and true equality, it is rare that it exists, in any company," she said. "It takes commitment and risk to take on diversity and inclusion. And no, it's not popular and no, it's not fun, but it is very necessary that it changes with everyone and some may have to start with being open to a different perspective. Black people are hurt. In deep pain. And I just don't think white people know what to do to start understanding and supporting their Black workers, customers, neighbors or community members."
"Change can only happen on purpose. I’m hoping that we all are finally serious about changing the way that we interact with one another." - Ralph Smith
When it comes to understanding and checking in our black employees and people of color, Vaughn acknowledges it can be uncomfortable, but encourages employers to continue on.
"There is this awkward dance people will have to do now," she said. "And that is an experience people of color have gone through for decades — so, welcome, if you may not know what to do or what to say. The very basics are we’re all human. It's just in the same way when someone has a loss and it's an awkward time where you don't have the words, but you're a bit selfish if you don't say anything."
Change will not happen overnight, but with each step the community can come closer to equality.
"It's going to take time to undo centuries of pain and suffering," Nonami said. "But, we have a choice to make: if we are going to build the system that supports it or help rebuild a better one."
