Howdy!
On 5/10/2019 6:14 PM, Jim Jagielski wrote:
One thing that I think could be very useful, in addition to contacting the Mozilla's and others about their D&I
efforts is actually reaching out to active members of marginalized populations and encouraging them to speak, even
if it means using TAC funds to have them attend and speak. With that in mind, I would really like encourage Ruth to
de-lurk, because I have had the immense pleasure of attending several of her talks, and each and everyone have
focused on the core tenets of D&I (empathy and compassion) in a totally true, honest, personal way, which I
think is much better than "dry" talks about D&I initiatives and "how we setup a D&I
charter"... etc.
Bingo. I'm not really all that interested in the process to develop a
D&I charter or Code of Conduct, frankly. Speaking as a pink-haired,
older, overweight, pansexual, differently-abled, butch transgender woman
who writes Perl for a living and therefore faces multiple axes of
marginalization, what is critically important to _me_ is the impact that
those things, and the empathy and compassion from which they
most-effectively arise, have on the people who work in our technology
communities.
So I tell stories--mine, and people I've known, every chance I get.
Every time I give a talk on this, I get told that it challenged
someone's thinking, and that it empowered someone to speak up and *do
something* about the widespread problems of abuse and marginalization
that our communities face. It's also quite often that someone wants to
talk privately afterward, and tell me their own story, and in those
moments, I feel so privileged to get to be there for that person.
I've taken some attacks for standing up and "talking about feelings,"
too, a fact that will probably not surprise many on this list. But I
keep doing it; I've been privileged to keynote four times in the last
three years, both in North America and in Europe. If it is the will of
the group, I'd be happy to submit the talk for ApacheCon NA this year,
for any speaking slot the organizers will grant me.
I have now, most likely, embarrassed Ruth to no end, but I also fear that I
have not done her justice.
I'm kind of hard to embarrass, Jim. I'm honored and humbled that you
have thought to include me in this effort, my friend. I appreciate all
your kind words, and those of Ross and Aizhamal, as well. As for "doing
[me] justice," I will let others be the judge of that.
D Ruth Holloway
https://HiRuthie.me
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