Changes between Version 19 and Version 20 of techies_of_color
- Timestamp:
- Aug 26, 2010, 9:43:10 PM (15 years ago)
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techies_of_color
v19 v20 1 = Program Summary:=1 = Program Summary: = 2 2 3 3 This program provides an intense, supportive mentored training program for activists of color to become professional-level, politically progressive and movement involved technologists. At the end of a 15 month program, the trainee will be able to perform all server administration functions as well as basic code writing and other skills needed to plan, maintain and upgrade any organization or movement's technology. … … 5 5 No other program of this type exists in this country. 6 6 7 The Importance of the Internet 7 == The Importance of the Internet == 8 8 9 9 The converging crises in the major capitalist economies, the precarious state of the world environment, the political crisis in government in so many of the world's countries and the usurpation of government authority by international banks and committees have brought humanity to a point of urgency and increasing certainty that something must be done to save humanity. … … 17 17 At the same time, the global crisis against which we're mobilizing depletes the resources required to build gatherings of large numbers of people. They are too large to put on, too expensive to get to and not capable of broadening the number of poor people attending. If we are going to ensure the progressive movements' continued collaboration world-wide, we are going to have to use the Internet and that is one reason why humanity invented it. 18 18 19 The Importance of the "techie" 19 == The Importance of the "techie" == 20 20 21 21 In that context, the role of technologists becomes critically and centrally important. Techies are the leaders of the Internet because they run its technology and lead the work on its software. … … 31 31 * and our politics give the progressive movement a critically important leadership position within the Internet. 32 32 33 The Problem 33 == The Problem == 34 34 35 35 There is one serious flaw in this promising picture, particularly in the United States: techies, the Internet's leaders, are mainly white men. This means that, while people of color can do a lot on the Internet, the management of the machines that serve the Internet; the creation and development of the software that runs it; and the power and ability to control and maintain the technology is in the hands of white people. … … 39 39 The problems emerging threaten the movement's successful use of technology and the marrying of technology with the movement's organizing work: the movement's two political priorities for the Internet. 40 40 41 42 Who Does What and Why is That Important? 41 == Who Does What and Why is That Important? == 43 42 44 43 To characterize and understand the dimensions of the problem, we need to understand the varying levels of engagement activists have with the Internet. … … 66 65 Techies run systems, develop software, make major decisions about how we are going to use the Internet and what tools we will need. Unquestionably the final decision on Internet issues is still in the hands of very large and powerful corporations, the day to day, month to month decisions about what happens on the Internet are in the hands of techies. They run the Internet in a very practical sense. They can close it to people or open it up to the world. They determine how it will be used and how it will develop. They are the Internet's day to day leadership. 67 66 68 The Politics of Techie Diversity 67 == The Politics of Techie Diversity == 69 68 70 69 To understand the impact of this it's important to remember that Internet functionality is fundamental to social change and the most important means of social organizing today. Virtually every demonstration, campaign, and movement developing in this country heavily uses Internet technology to communicate. … … 98 97 4 -- The Internet is, of course, a world phenomenon and one of its greatest contributions is uniting the world through its communication. The necessary and politically powerful collaborations among techies from various countries and parts of the world are crippled by the lack of background diversity among US-based techies. It's difficult to truly develop a collaboration when the US techies are all white and not reflective of the entire US culture. 99 98 100 What Do We Do? 99 == What Do We Do? == 101 100 102 101 The simple solution is to bring techies of color into the progressive movement's techie activities and that would be eminently possible if there were techies of color. But that is the second part of the problem. … … 122 121 A note of major importance here: for the most part, progressive techies who are white are not oblivious to this point. In fact, as the recent United States Techie Congress outcomes demonstrate, progressive techies consider the struggle against racism in technology to be an absolute priority. They are allies of this struggle; not the agents. 123 122 124 Goals 123 == Goals == 125 124 126 125 This program's primary goal is to turn the situation around by training a group of people of color to become proficient techies with skills in server administration, web and email administration and trouble-shooting and basic software development including the ability to construct basic scripts in Drupal and similar content management systems. … … 130 129 The trainee will also have benefited from a full year of intense discussion and reflection on the political significance of his/her work, the issues a progressive techie confronts and the problem of relating to other activists and how to deal with those problems. 131 130 132 Program Specifics: 131 == Program Specifics: == 133 132 134 133 1 -- A call is issued to many organizations of color seeking applicants. … … 150 149 These areas of proficiency will make this person a qualified server administrator. 151 150 152 Mentor Role 151 == Mentor Role == 153 152 154 153 The mentor is the living response to a call being made by many activists, particularly within the Climate Control movement, to "take responsibility and give back". Progressive white techies know they have been privileged over activists of color and, for the most part, want to respond by turning that around.
