How the 2024 Fellows Are Defying Tech Norms and Driving Racial Equity: Part One

By Selene Chala and Q McEachern

Code2040 tackled the changes in DEI investment within tech last year by investing even more in Racial Equity Advocates, the people who do this work and refuse to deprioritize equity. We know that with community we will survive the backlash from those in power unable to make room for Black and Latinx people to be in positions of power. Despite the impacts of resources (time, budgets, programs) decreasing and institutions moving to the “next issue,” we have proof of concept that the people fueling and working in this industry have not moved on, and are still impacted by inequity at work. If the industry won’t care about us, we will care about us and hold the industry up to our standards around equal distribution of power.

While searching for partners last year, we noticed companies were not motivated in structural change, or even in uplifting programs that support Black and Latinx CS majors. Tech companies were resoundingly invested in the bottomline, seeing their investments as part of a false binary: Racial Equity vs. Profits. Instead of bargaining with companies to see the value of people, we decided to invest in people directly by creating a community that can withstand the oscillating nature of the tech industry’s commitment to Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB programs).

Last Summer, we paused our Fellows Program partnerships with tech companies, and instead allocated more resources into expanding and deepening the community of Black and Latinx students who are starting their tech careers. Our investment in building community with Black and Latinx students is driven by knowing that being underrepresented in tech can be isolating and discouraging, and feeling this way is not a unique experience. We shifted our focus away from companies and more on our Fellows because Code2040 understands that people have the power to change systems. We know that change is possible when done in community.

We would be remiss not to speak to the fact that the decision to shift our focus away from companies and expand our Fellows Program happened in the second half of 2023, creating a space where students would be entering a program they did not explicitly apply for, and one without direct company partnerships. The choices we made intentionally centered the needs of students, which is central to the ethos of care at the core of our programs.

Before starting the program, our priority was to do right by our selected students, and that meant providing each incoming Fellow the full context of our decision making process, giving them space to opt-in or out of the new program (one we were so excited to create!). Changing the program risked students feeling disconnected, confused, or upset. What we found, however, was that 91% of students we selected to be part of our 2024 Fellows Program cohort still wanted to enter the journey with us. We learned that although students are interested in internships to support their careers, they are equally interested in building their capacity as advocates and as technologists. They also clearly want community, connection, and have a strong desire to learn how to make the industry better for Black & Latinx folks who enter tech after them.

As a result of our shift away from company partners, we expanded our Fellows cohort from 50 to 100 students, and grew our program from a nine-week summer to a 10-month program with two major focuses: supporting Black and Latinx students to advocate for their needs throughout hiring season, and deepening their racial equity advocacy skills and resources in order to shift the tech industry’s inequities. Community ensures that we have the capacity to face challenges together, and our Fellows program provides a foundation for ongoing racial equity advocacy. The Fellows cohort of 2024 confirmed the importance of community.

Code2040 in Community at Welcome Weekend! 2024 Fellows and Code2040 staff smile together at the Jack London Square Marina in Oakland, CA.

To Be Continued: Check back next week for highlights from Fellows Program 2024!