Looks like I hit the maximum number of tweets in a thread. Starting another one of my answers to Lending Privilege questions. 🧵 Q: I think the idea of pushing women to the forefront is fantastic but I think there is criticism that these people become "token" faces rather than nominated because they are good at their jobs. How do we contest that viewpoint and acknowledge that maybe people's biases are

I recently gave my "Lending Privilege" talk at a private event, and I didn't have time to answer all of the questions posted during Q&A. So, I'll answer them in this thread. 🧵 By the way, "Lending Privilege" is one of my most popular talks. You can learn more about it here: anjuansimmons.com/talks/lending-…

I have a full time career managing software development teams, but I spend a fair amount of time on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work.

A common question I still get is, "What's the business case for diversity? What advantage do we gain by being inclusive?" I understand why people ask this question. I can cite numerous statistics, case studies, and research papers that show how diverse and inclusive companies have better business results.

But, the business case for DEI isn't enough.

I was part of a podcast on allyship that will drop later today. It was an informative and fun episode to record. I'll tweet it out when it's published.

I want to echo something I said in the episode and share something I call the "Althea Test". I've talked with a lot of companies who want me to assess how they're doing with embracing the power of diversity and creating an inclusive culture.

There's usually only one thing I need to know to get an initial sense of the inclusion maturity level of the company.

I'm glad to see continued energy around the Anti-Racist movement, especially in the tech industry.

However, I want to address something that's probably in the back of a lot of people's minds:

"If we help Black people, then what will that take away from White people? Few people would say that out loud, but I know people are thinking it. It's similar to what I heard people say early in my career when I championed women in tech:

"If we help women, then what will that take away from men?"

I've worked in software development for over 20 years, and most of my career has been in management. I want to share something about the reality of working as a Black man fulfilling leadership roles in tech. I've been responsible for shipping countless features and managing large numbers of people. However, for most of the people I manage, I'm probably the first manager they've had who has been a Black man. So, I always labor under the possibility that I may be seen as a "token hire"