Women of Color: Strategies for Excelling and Thriving

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Description

This Women of Color Panel represents a continuation of a similar panel held at Grace Hopper 2009. Last year, the panel focused on issues unique to women of color in computing and strategies for overcoming these issues. This year the focus is on strategies for excelling and thriving as a woman of color. In particular, the panel will discuss effective ways to promote yourself, award nominations, making the best of given opportunities, and utilizing one's networks. The panel consists of women of color who have excelled in their positions. The panel is organized by the Coalition to Diversify Computing (CDC), a joint organization of the ACM, CRA, and IEEE-CS.


Panelists

  • Cecilia Aragon - Lawrence Berkeley Lab & U Washington
  • Patty Lopez, Intel
  • Sandra Johnson, IBM
  • Loretta Moore, Jackson State U

Session Notes

Sandra Johnson spoke of how she just wanted to get a job good enough to buy a dishwasher and eventually became 1st African-American woman to get a PhD in Electrical Engineering.

Loretta Moore spoke of how she started out interested in chemistry but started a fire in a chemistry lab, so chose a career that was more forgiving of mistakes: Computer Science.


What strategies have you used to promote yourself effectively?

  • network outside your environment, be strategic about your networking, socialize and build relationships
  • join organizations
  • be competent, it trumps everything else

Is there a strategy you can use to get awards and what are some challenges?

  • understand the honors and awards process, learn the process, talk to people who are familiar with the process
  • reach out to people on the committee
  • keep relationships with people who can be future references
  • important to have the recognition of your peers, perceived
  • if you don't win the first time, apply again. Often the first time is simply a way for the committee to get to know who you are.
  • self-promotion is important, talk about what you're proud of

What strategies do you have for dealing with people who try to put you down because you have gotten help to get where you are, or say you only got a job because of a diversity program?

  • don't listen to them, prove them wrong with your competence
  • even though some people may be dismissive, you have the competence to be where you are. The businesses seek you because they have to represent their customer base and you have a voice and view that they need - so there is a real need for you.
  • surround yourself with positive people
  • get in the door and show them what you can do

What is advice for networking when there is no response from other party or you just don't get invited?

  • Show interest in others' work. Don't talk to someone just so you can get to the next level - realize they are human.
  • Networking can come in other forms - not just playing golf. Maybe your kids have same activities with their kids

How do you reach out to those who are where you desire to be? How do you build your network?

  • Send an email. Do some homework about them first. Many of them had mentors so they realize they will be approached in same way and typically will respond.
  • Ask them to speak at a brownbag and then ask.
  • Don't be discouraged when you are constantly rescheduled. Be persistent.

How do you deal with the feeling that every failure reflects on your entire race?

  • Keep a rainy day folder of successes. When you have a bad day, go through it to remind yourself of success and people who support you
  • Challenge them on how many people of non-color failed. White males tend to see themselves as individuals but view others of color as groups and so conceptualize that way
  • Don't carry that burden

How do you handle when in meetings, people act as though they don't understand you or have to clarify everything you say?

  • Have a support person in a meeting
  • In a polite way, thank the offender for reiterating and verifying what you just said
  • Need a meeting before the meeting to enlist advocates and put your ideas out. Get the other perspectives before going in. Need 3 people supporting a point for ideas to be heard

How do you handle being deliberately left out of meetings?

  • Confront the person in a very serious adult conversation, express your concerns. If you didn't
  • Send an email to the group to please include you in the next meeting. After people see a couple of those they will see the pattern.
  • Tell your manager and have them address it and then follow up.

Notes taken by Keita Del Valle, GHC 2010 Live Notetaker

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