The venerable Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, tackled diversity issues at New York's Social Media Week.
The civil rights leader partnered up with Anil Dash, who is the co-founder and CEO of ThinkUp, to discuss the issues of mélange within the tech industry on Feb. 25. Diverse workforces are getting more attention as companies such as Comcast, eBay, Facebook, Twitter and Verizon all begin to publish reports that detail their employee demographics.
With such technology and social media leaders continuing to be transparent about their workforce diversity, Jackson and Dash collaborate to offer suggestions on how to fix the lack of inclusion within the industry. Described as an event "where all are included and nobody is left behind," the #SMWDiversity occasion, which is taking place now, is an example of what happens when diversity is filtered through the lens of individuals who are able to create growth through conversation.
Twitter users following the chat via live streaming plucked important notes and references to share and retweet. We here at Tech Times decide to highlight the best #SMWDiversity tweets that you should see. The conference, in its seventh year, runs through Feb. 27 in New York City.
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"Inclusion leads to GROWTH" - @RevJJackson #SMWNYC #SMWDiversity
— Mike Street (@MrMikeStreet) February 25, 2015
It's not enough to teach coding in school, we must advocate for investments in school. The tech industry has the power #REVJJ #SMWDiversity — Monika Bialokur (@MarketingMonika) February 25, 2015
"Leading is often an uphill battle & change often comes from the bottom, upward." @RevJJackson #SMWDiversity #SMWNYC pic.twitter.com/Jq6givH3i6
— Brad Smith (@thebradsmith) February 25, 2015
"Those wanting to be free must strike the first blow." -@RevJJackson #SMWDIVERSITY #SMWNYC ✊ pic.twitter.com/YUyU9id6JF — Jess Moore (@purelyjess) February 25, 2015
"It's not a knowledge deficit, it's an opportunity deficit." - @RevJJackson on Why Diversity in Tech Matters at #SMWNYC #SMWdiversity
— Beck (@manfattan) February 25, 2015
There is nothing in #SiliconValley that we cannot do. There is no talent deficit. There is an opportunity deficit. w/@anildash #SMWDiversity — Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) February 25, 2015
"We can't just use social media as a conduit, we need to use it for a mission." " - @RevJJackson #smwdiversity #SMWNYC
— Eunic Ortiz (@eunicortiz) February 25, 2015
They make available athletic scholarships, but not tech & science scholarships - @RevJJackson #SMWdiversity #SMWNYC pic.twitter.com/YH8obWQvSD — Tamara Hendricks (@tamarahendricks) February 25, 2015
Nobody can lock out creativity based on ignorance or fear - Rev. Jesse Jackson #SMWdiversity #SMWNYC pic.twitter.com/WAwVNGcZAy
— christoph winkler (@VEntreship) February 25, 2015
"We can not just follow trends, we must mold trends." - @RevJJackson #smwdiversity #SMWNYC pic.twitter.com/iAUwcI2aSv — Eunic Ortiz (@eunicortiz) February 25, 2015
