What Does Underrepresentation Mean? What Is Allyship? And Why Does it Matter?

Michelle Frechette
Michelle Frechette

The work we do in DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) in the tech community, and WordPress specifically, matters a great deal.

Imagine making unilateral decisions on global projects from only one point of view. This effectively disengages users, customers, clients, and community. The decisions we make about how products, software, services, and community operate must take into consideration how people from every part of the world – including underrepresented groups – will use them and be involved.

From making sure our venues are wheelchair accessible, to making sure our websites are accessible to users of different disabilities and languages, to making sure our community is accessible to all people inclusive of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, physical ability, nationality, socio-economic status, religious beliefs, and any other characteristics that are a part of our identity and humanness matters. It matters a lot.

How we do the work to achieve this is allyship. And it’s worth it.

This session will present some history of how we’ve gotten where we are, the work that’s currently in place, what might be on the horizon, and how each and every one of us can (and should) advocate for representation and inclusion.


Watch the session in WordPress.tv and Youtube

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