This is a message from Michael Ward Jr., President and CEO of Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTMHQ):
The Texas Governor's office issued a controversial memo to state agencies and public universities, claiming that "the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in hiring violates federal and state employment laws?"
These policies, however, coexist and complement one another.
DEI policies support federal anti-discrimination laws such as the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which strengthens our hiring process and increases innovation. Without these two laws, we wouldn’t have the progress we have obtained today.
The memo also states that hiring cannot be based on factors "other than merit." However, statistics reveal that our hiring processes already take into account factors other than merit. Consider how many Black and Hispanic people work in technology, as well as how many women hold positions of power. Consider how many Black and Hispanic people live in poverty, and how much less women earn than men.
In today's society, you are hired and given opportunities based on who you know, where you live, or what school you attended. Several employers who reach out to Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTMHQ) do not understand the systematic barriers that limit their talent pool and allow problems to go unsolved. They believe that hiring someone with a four-year degree and years of work experience is not discrimination, let alone system-generated bias. Even with anti-discrimination laws in place, white males continue to constitute the majority of the workforce and earn more money than any other ethnicity, race, or gender in America.
Our own preconceptions are intertwined with our decisions during the hiring process, and we may be unaware that we are biased, prejudiced, or discriminatory. Despite our anti-discrimination laws, bill of rights, and right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we continue to maintain a separate, but equal mentality in which our laws and policies benefit one group while tearing down others.
This is one of the reasons why, at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, AUTMHQ launched The Texas Technology for All petition. During this time of adversity in 2020, we witnessed a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic employees lose their jobs, close their businesses, and receive unequal and inequitable resources to cover their expenses. This compelled us to provide devices, internet assistance, and technical upskilling opportunities to our community members in order for them to survive and thrive at work.
DEI initiatives supplement our federal and state employment laws by accounting for unconscious bias in the hiring process. As a result, rather than being anti-DEI, we should be anti-discrimination and support anti-discrimination initiatives such as The Texas Technology for All petition.
Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTMHQ) stands for a fair, equal, and unbiased hiring process for the people who make America a diverse and empowered nation.
Michael Ward Jr.
President and CEO at AUTMHQ