LinkedIn WIT Newsletter: May 27th, 2022

Hey there ?? We are LinkedIn WIT (Women In Tech), an employee-led effort to promote gender balance in technical roles and inspire other companies to do the same.

Welcome to our newsletter! Join us to learn about our feature of the month, discover some posts you may have missed, and catch a sneak peek of our upcoming content for the next month!?

Featured ?? ??

This we wanted to highlight Mary Tape. 70 years prior to the historic Brown v. Board of Education case (which ruled racial segregation within schools as unconstitutional), Tape sued the San Fransisco School Board for their refusal to enroll her daughter and other children of Chinese descent in Tape v. Hurley.

Tape immigrated to the United States from China at the age of 11 and was taken in by the Ladies' Protection and Relief Society in San Francisco. Under their care, she learned about both American culture and adopted the name Mary from one of her caretakers. She married Joseph, a Chinese immigrant formerly known as Jeu in 1875. Joseph grew to be a well respected businessman and the Tapes' rose to a prosperous middle class standing. They quickly learned that assimilating to American culture came with both social and economic benefits and the two distanced themselves from Chinatown and moved to Cow Hollow - a neighborhood in San Francisco which had very few Chinese residents at the time.

Anti-Chinese sentiment was growing rapidly in America during this period however, as many Americans - especially those in the West Coast - blamed Chinese workers for lower wages and economic hardships. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which prohibited Chinese immigration for 10 years and prevented Chinese from becoming naturalized citizens in the US. Chinese parents had to send their children to church or hire private instructors in order to educate their children.

In 1884, the Tapes attempted to enroll their eldest daughter Mamie at Spring Valley Primary School, an all-white school in their neighborhood. They believed it would provide their children the best opportunity to succeed. Mamie was denied admittance per the school board policy against admitting a child of Chinese descent. The Tapes' sued the Board of Education arguing that as a native-born citizen of the United States, Mamie was entitled to free education as was every American's birthright. They won the case with the Superior Court of California ruling that excluding "children of Chinese parents" violated state law and the Fourteenth Amendment, because Chinese Americans supported public schools with their taxes. The California Supreme Court upheld the decision when the board attempted to appeal the case, but the victory was short lived.

Determined to keep Mamie from the school, Superintendent Moulder immediately telegrammed California legislature and lawmakers quickly passed a law that establishing "separate schools for children of Mongolian or Chinese descent". Refusing to accept this decision, Mary penned a letter, which would become widely popular, to the Board of Education in their local newspaper stating:

It seems no matter how a Chinese may live and dress so long as you know they [are] Chinese. Then they are hated as one. There is not any right or justice for them...may you [Superintendent] Moulder, never be persecuted like the way you have persecuted little Mamie Tape.

Although she was ultimately unsuccessful in getting her children into the schools, their case received widespread attention and set a precedent for future landmark cases. The associated press also provided the Tape family recognition and Mary gained a reputation for her skills as an artist, a photographer, and the ability to send her husband messages in Morse code using a telegraph at work.

Here’s What You Missed ????

Humans of Engineering - Cherie Luo

"I never thought that downloading an app could change my life....don’t be afraid to put yourself out there -- what’s the best that can happen?"

From cat videos to professional tips, learn about?Cherie's journey through the Creator world. In this month's Humans of Engineering, Cherie shares how she came to amass over 100k followers and millions of likes on her TikTok, and the lessons she has learned since.

Spotlight - Alice Chang

"Look for a manager who is going to grow and invest in you. Listen to how they vouch for their team and evaluate whether they will be able to do the same for you."

In this month's Spotlight,?discover how Alice found her passion at work and the advice she has for others on how they can find a role that best fits them.

Career Chats - Si Wei

"I never thought I would become a software engineer. Growing up in Korea, I always wanted to become an international lawyer focusing on human rights."

Si discusses her journey from International Relations to Software Development, and what she loves most about her current role at LinkedIn in this month's Career Chats.

Upcoming ?? ??

WIT Showcase - Accessibility

In the final episode of our REACH Series, we talked to Judith about her experience in the program and the power of Accessibility. For our next Showcase, join us as we dive deeper into LinkedIn's Accessibility initiatives with Rae, a Senior Manager for our AccessIn Team and a co-lead for our EnableIn Employee Resource Group at LinkedIn.

Spotlight - Manasa Gaduputi

In our June Spotlight, Manasa provides a peak into life as a systems infrastructure engineer at LinkedIn and the unique growth opportunities it provides. Stay tuned to learn how her team builds frameworks that help enforce privacy policies at LinkedIn.

Have any questions or feedback for our team? Reach out to [email protected]