We Asked #BlackTechTwitter Founder Pariss Athena Why Tech Still Has a DEI Problem
Widely-touted diversity campaigns, black squares on Instagram pages, and hiring efforts that solicit marginalized candidates — are these things helping the tech industry become more accessible? Or has racism simply been carefully rebranded as a hiring challenge? Founder of Black Tech Pipeline and the #BlackTechTwitter movement, Pariss Chandler (known on Twitter as Pariss Athena) talks about how she broke into tech after leaving a dead-end career and why tech needs to do more than just hire Black people.
Pariss, you’re a software engineer, a front-end developer, a founder, a community leader—how did you get into this work?
I got into tech for job security and money. I was told that if I didn’t gain a technological skill set, I would be left behind and replaced by a machine. I was a full-time wax specialist and I was losing clientele to laser hair removal—a machine. Once I realized that I was being replaced by technology, I decided to enroll in a full-time Bootcamp and learn to code.
Which led to the #BlackTechTwitter community and launching Black Tech Pipeline. Can you talk about BPT and the mission behind that work?
With Black Tech Pipeline and the Twitter community, we’re bringing exposure to Black technologists and offering our community members job learning and growth opportunities. More than that, our focus is truly on the retainment of Black technologists on the job. So many companies are focused on diversifying and not enough on equity and inclusion. The hire's experience, especially a Black hire’s experience, is extremely important for the sake of our community as a whole, so we are not being left behind in this digital era.
There seems to be so much standing in the way of Black women entering and succeeding in the tech industry.
I would say the most common obstacles are assumptions, lack of trust and being silenced. For example, when we speak, people hear “attitude.” We come off as demanding or aggressive, which almost feels threatening to people. But, we come off this way because of our skin color and the bias and stereotypes people have in their heads about us; we’re snappy, rude and combative. Then, when we speak up, our job security is put on the line.
Black women feel the need to overcompensate because we are watched and criticized much more harshly than anyone else. When I worked in the office before the pandemic, everyone in the office was allowed to work anywhere on the floor, we didn’t just need to sit at our desks. Anytime I decided to work away from my desk and out of my CTO or manager's sight, they would follow me and sit near me to make sure that I was working. This happened every single time that I didn’t work at my desk, but my white co-workers were not met with that same micromanagement.
You mentioned that Black women in tech are silenced. How so?
It happens so easily. For example, white women are a “minority” in the tech space as well and are typically the face and target of DEI initiatives. So they tend to get away with harm even when they’re harming Black women. White women have the benefit of white privilege but also get to use their own oppression as it benefits them. This usually leaves Black women to be harmed and silenced whenever there is a conflict between us and white women.
Talk about tech’s big DEI problem. Why is it so drastic compared to other industries?
Tech has a major DEI problem because leaders (white men) have intentionally kept Black people from being involved in the future. This includes an entire system that is built on white supremacy and racism. Many Black and brown people live in the poorest communities, with the worst school systems without enough funding, so our kids don’t get the resources or the access necessary to learn and build with the tools of tomorrow. Computers are one of the biggest, most in-demand tools out there, and until recently, most tech jobs required a computer science degree.
This creates a problem from starting school to, hopefully, graduating. Then there’s the expense of college and maybe not having the funds to pay for an education or not having the access or guidance to apply for loans. Then everything is predominantly made up of or for white people. So, even when a Black person does make it to the point of getting the education and the job, they then have to learn how to survive in an environment that wasn’t built with them in mind.
With all the awareness around diversity, why do you think this problem persists?
Many employers don’t know or care about how to make Black hires feel welcomed and set them up for success based on their goals and needs. So, Black hires end up failing under terrible leadership or lack of mentorship and guidance — they leave or get fired. It’s a rotating door of failure due to not making DEI a priority.
What do you think is the deepest impact?
The impact that the lack of DEI has on our daily lives is major. With very few DEI initiatives, or without any at all, Black people have to truly adapt and assimilate to every environment they exist in, in order to retain a job or opportunity. This means stripping away our own experiences, thoughts and culture and only doing and saying what the predominant race in the environment would like and agree with. So, for example, not speaking every single time racism or microaggressions occur, because if we do, we could lose our job security. It’s constant survivorship, constant restriction and thoughts on how to exist the way that they want us to exist in their spaces. It’s exhausting, frustrating, unhealthy and takes a toll on our physical and emotional wellbeing.
Have you dipped your toe into the NFT and Web3 space?
I have definitely invested in the crypto and NFT space. My fiancé is a participant in the space, and I decided to try my hand by asking him to educate me on it. I also joined a Discord community called SLS, which has a channel dedicated to heavy NFT and crypto investors. I learned a lot thereby seeing who was investing in what, things to look out for, etc. I think the best way to get started is by joining communities that educate you on these topics before you actually begin investing in different coins and projects.
What about the future of tech? Where do you think Black women fit into the NFT and Web3 space?
The Web3 and NFT spaces are really exciting and scary because it’s the future. The future can mean change, and change is hard for a lot of people. There are a lot of doubts and questions that come with being in this space. When you’re building for the future, you’re going to run into mishaps and make mistakes because you’re entering a new atmosphere. You only learn how to navigate something new once you’ve experimented in it, broken some things and improvised. Personally, I see [Web3] as a space with a ton of potential to create equity for those of us who never had the opportunity to get a head start.
Do you think Web3 is an answer to all the gatekeeping around tech, or does it present a new problem?
I don’t think there will ever be a point in time where gatekeeping and ‘ism’s’ won’t be a problem, even in decentralized territory. The Web3 and NFT space are as successful as it is due to the community building surrounding it. So all the negative things that we face outside of Web3 are absolutely going to be experienced within Web3. Maybe this space will have more of a classism issue since it all revolves around the funds that an individual has to be a part of a community.
What do you think is the best way for Black women to enter the NFT space?
Build a community around something you’re passionate about. And that passion doesn’t have to be social justice or things that have to do with our oppression — it could be beauty, poetry, fantasy. Something that can be expressed through artwork.
Write a list of things that you’re passionate about, and then research communities within that space. I recently did a talk on how beauty brands are breaking into the Web3 space through artwork, physical products, and virtual spaces. Go research and get inspired!
Pariss Chandler, also known as Pariss Athena online, is the creator and mobilizer of the hashtag, movement and community called #BlackTechTwitter. She is the founder of Black Tech Pipeline, a job board and recruitment platform that brings resources, opportunities and exposure to Black technologists.
You can follow Pariss and the Black tech community on Twitter @parissathena and @btpipeline.
