Our focus is on how employers can be proactive in adopting policies and practices to hire, recruit, and retain women of color in technology roles, particularly those who enter the field through nontraditional pathways. The toolkit seeks to lift up systemic and structural practices that can help create a culture of inclusion and belonging, rather than simply addressing the issue of increasing representation.

In addition, we center intersectionality in our toolkit. While there are many well-intentioned initiatives to support increasing the engagement of women in technology, many of these primarily benefit white women. Our focus is squarely on underrepresented women of color in technology, particularly Black, Latina, and Native American women, and the myriad ways in which multiple forms of discrimination can impact their experience.

Finally, while we provide action steps in each toolkit to advance equity and inclusion within technology roles, these toolkits are not intended to be checklists. We recognize that shifting culture and organizational practices takes time, that there are likely to be fits and starts along the way, and that it is an ongoing learning journey.