A Chat on DE&I at Forbes Under 30

This past week, I had the opportunity to join a cadre of entrepreneurs at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Detroit.?

It was an exciting moment for several reasons:?

First, I was among an impressive group of inspiring entrepreneurs, all with the distinction of achieving a Forbes 30 Under 30 ranking. The event was part celebration of 10 years of the Forbes 30 Under 30 program, and part innovation conference, with industry leaders discussing their past successes as well as what the future holds.

Second, it was the first time I had attended, let alone spoken at, an in-person event since the beginning of the pandemic. It was truly exhilarating to (safely) meet other entrepreneurs and executives in person and speak to so many new people about their work.

But perhaps most importantly, I was excited to speak on a panel alongside Garrett Lord, Founder & CEO of Handshake, and Reggie Willis, Chief Diversity Officer of Ally, discussing the importance of diversifying the workforce. It’s a topic that I’m committed to advancing, and one that deserves a constant spotlight. Through my work with Holler and more recently, Group Black, I’ve gained a lot of insight into the challenges businesses face when it comes to diversity, representation and belonging, as well as some of the common misconceptions.

During the panel, each of my colleagues and I were able to learn from one another’s experiences, and talk about some of the ways we think the technology industry in particular can change. We also spoke about the importance of “unlearning” common practices within the workplace, like trying to treat diversity and equity as something that needs to be “solved” and crossed off a to-do list.?

I said it onstage and I’ll say it again now - leaders must put representation at the top of their agenda. There is a clear business advantage to having a diverse and inclusive culture, aside from it being the right thing to do. And it can’t be a siloed effort that one person or department is responsible for - it must be integrated across your company culture, in the set of behaviors that each employee commits to. Everyone needs to be at the table, and everyone needs to be responsible in building diversity and equity into their everyday work.?

We also spoke about allyship. Positioning oneself as an ally to BIPOC and minority employees in the workplace is an excellent first step, and shows that you understand the cards are not stacked evenly. But what we really need are people who are ready to take action to drive change. I consider these people comrades rather than allies - people who you know you can rely on to make an impact.?

Though we still have a long way to go, and though we will all undoubtedly stumble along the way, I find it inspiring and motivating to see the level of interest in these conversations, and the continued support from fellow change-makers. It’s these conversations that will help us push for progress, and help decision-makers continue to ask themselves how we can do better.?

I'd like to thank Summit organizers as well as our moderator, Raquel Harris, a reporter for For(bes) The Culture, for giving us a platform for such an important topic. It’s now up to leaders to set the tone for their company culture and make sure everyone throughout their companies is empowered to be part of the change. It will take all of us acting as comrades on a daily basis in order to truly accomplish cultural change in the office.