FACEBOOK TO HIRE MORE BLACKS, LATINOS AND WOMEN AS A RESULT OF NEGOTIATIONS BY THE REVEREND JESSE JACKSON
Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rainbow PUSH Coalition Statement on
Facebook’s Decision to Release its Workforce Data
June 25, 2014
Three weeks ago, Rainbow PUSH made a direct and public appeal for Silicon Valley technology companies to release their EEO-1 reports and workforce data.
Today, Facebook positively responded and posted its workforce data. Facebook joins a growing list of companies - Intel, Yahoo!, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Cisco and others - that are confronting the lack of diversity and inclusion, with integrity and transparency. This is a step in the right direction.
But the numbers tell the story. Blacks and Latinos are being left out of the technology revolution. Facebook reports that its overall workforce is just 4% Latino and 2% Black; 69% male and 31% women overall. Hispanics make up jus 4% and Blacks 1% of senior level positions.
Truly there is a long way to go to break the virtual exclusion of Blacks and Latinos from Silicon Valley’s technology industry. The tech industry is perhaps the worst industry in the nation when it comes to inclusion, and their paltry workforce data extends to the composition of their Boards of Directors and C-suite leadership.
So Rainbow PUSH will continue to monitor the progress of the technology industry. Rev. Jackson added, “They must set specific, measurable goals, targets and timetables, just like they do other priority business lines. Rainbow PUSH will continue to press other firms to confront reality and release their EEO-1 and workforce data. We will measure their results and hold companies publicly accountable.”
Rainbow PUSH is working with companies, educators and students to build an effective pipeline from Black and Latino communities to jobs in the tech industry. Representatives from Google, HP, Facebook, and Intel will all be participating in the Rainbow PUSH Annual Conference in Chicago, June 28-July 2nd to forge new strategies and partnerships that can move the needle regarding minority inclusion in Silicon Valley and the tech industry.
He added, “Silicon Valley and the tech industry have demonstrated that it can solve the most challenging complex problem in the world. Inclusion is a complex problem – if we put our collective minds to it, we can solve it, too. There’s nothing we can’t do, together. When women lean in, so must Blacks and Latinos move forward. Everyone must be included.”
Blacks and Latinos are biggest per capital user of social media and the Internet – we use computers and printers; we use I-Phones and androids. They are a huge part of your customer base. It’s time the Boards of Directors and C-suites and the workforce of technology companies begin to reflect its customer base.
At its best, Silicon Valley can be a tremendously positive change agent for the world; at its worst, it can hold on to old patterns that exclude people of color and women from opportunity and advancement. Rev. Jackson concluded, “Silicon Valley must evolve and expand to look like America, and mirror American values and principles – we must even the playing field and play by one set of rules.”
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Replies
I doubt if there is a single reader who is surprised about these figures on Black and Latino exclusion,
it's worth saying here that the figure for Women's inclusion, as always means White Women,
just as most time the system is talking about this or that "minority" they really talking about another set of Whites, now included in share out of the cake.
The none surprise in the figures comes also from the normal day to day racist content of vehicles such as Facebook and their attitude about racism seems to just encourage racists and racism, had the workforce had a stronger Black presence this could never be the case.
I highlight the case of the Boeremag terrorists who tried to bomb the late President Nelson Mandela, start a race war where "non Whites" would be driven out of the country and an all Whites state set up. In December they were jailed for this and other,bombing, offences.
I found that Facebook hosts a support page for these race terrorists, in petitioning to have this page removed, (Facebook - Stop hosting terrorists) it is I who am banned first from Facebook and then from Twitter.
Both networks host a vast array of some of the most nasty politics known to man, but if you point out Al Qaeda supporters they remove them, but haters of Black people are allowed to flourish there, in fact since my ban, Twitter has insisted on sending vile racists including avowed neo nazis for me to "follow".
Like I said, were more Black people employed they'd have had to stop the harboring of racists longtime.
As I have replied to other before that I hate the fact the Black groups internally battle with each other on building Black owned business collaborations while still doing the same old thing with White groups. It BUGS me to see a whole number of people I know who use Facebook as the base for their Black Social media and other businesses that I have seen WALK AWAY from opportunities specifically set up for Black rule, but we at National Black Wall Street Chicago will continue to work the the Black owned and operated rule.
Mark, I feel your pain, brother. I am beginning to wonder if a winnowing process is going on at the spiritual level? Those conscious black brothers and sisters seem to be on a quest, like you and the National Black Wall Street Chicago, to form a community. I wonder if an awakening is occurring among the more conscious of us, to the fact that if real change is ever going to take place, we will have to find our own way and stop relying on our oppressors (Black and white) to maintain the status quo.
Congratulations and success to you and yours, my brother. Also, please check out this presentation at www.usliftingus.org Just another group of pro-black brothers and sisters seeking to establish their own niche as a community. Shalom to you and all you love.
When will we learn? Once again we go to the white man with our hat in our hand begging for crumbs instead of putting our resources ($1 Trillion) together and build our own social media network. Will we understand that we are white America's largest "trading partner". Black's put over $1 Trillion into the white man's economy.
Wake Up!!!
Wes