For a long time, tech culture has focused too narrowly on technical skills; this has resulted in a tech community that too often puts companies and code over people. Greater Than Code is a podcast that invites the voices of people who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of color, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of software development and technology. Greater Than Code is providing a vital platform for these conversations, and developing new ideas of what it means to be a technologist beyond just the code. Featuring an ongoing panel of racially and gender diverse tech panelists, the majority of podcast guests so far have been women in tech! We’ve covered topics including imposter syndrome, mental illness, sexuality, unconscious bias and social justice. We also have a major focus on skill sets that tech too often devalues, like team-building, hiring, community organizing, mentorship and empathy. Each episode also includes a transcript. We have an active Slack community that members can join by pledging as little as $1 per month via Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/greaterthancode)
194: I Don’t Need You To Like Me, I Need You To Hate Racism with Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn
02:28 - Courtney’s Superpower: Speaking on the Topic of Racism
“You can’t prioritize your discomfort over living your own values.” – Courtney
- White Liberals Are Dangerous: the “I’m liberal...I’m not that bad” narrative
- Action & Engaging in Antiracist Practices Over Lipservice
- Antiracism is a Lifelong Learning Process
- Not Seeing Race is Problematic – Disproportive Representation
13:16 - Adopting Attitudes Towards Antiracism
- Understanding White Supremacy
- If It’s Not Antiracist, It’s Racist
16:24 - 1000 Cut Journey
- "1000 Cut Journey" Launches at Tribeca Film Festival
- Culture, Narratives, and Stories are Powerful Tools
- Feedback & Reactions
25:59 - Empathy is Insufficient
- Are you aware of how white you are?
34:34 - The Tendency to Avoid Racism and Talking About Race
39:30 - Systemic Racism and Technology
- Diversity is Not About Aesthetics
- Centering Race
- Training & Onboarding
- Hiring From Non-Traditional Backgrounds
- Understanding “Social Work”
- Shifting Orientation:
- Being Antiracist
- Being Transdisciplinary
- Understanding that avoiding harm is not the same thing as achieving justice
Reflections:
Rein: “Intention without strategy is chaos.” – Dr. Kim Crayton
Arty: Taking an antiracist approach to product development.
Jacob: Thinking more about the phrase “transdisciplinary” and the difference between it and “interdisciplinary.”
Courtney: 1. Talking about difficult things in a way that can be anchored in learning. 2. It’s not about what you believe; it’s what you do. 3. There is no neutral in marginalization and oppression.
This episode was brought to you by @therubyrep of DevReps, LLC. To pledge your support and to join our awesome Slack community, visit patreon.com/greaterthancode
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Special Guest: Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn.
Sponsored By:
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