Where do you fall on Code2040's Spectrum of Advocacy?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  Your colleague Suzie is a cis-gender white woman. You’re in a meeting with her when she tells a Black colleague that she does not understand why the company has to have diversity initiatives in the first place because it creates an unequal environment and is a distraction from getting quality work done. How do you respond to the situation?

  • A.
    A) You’ll add a section about your company's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the next job description you write to make sure people like Suzie are weeded out.
  • B.
    B) After the event, you check in with your Black colleague who might have been offended by Suzie’s comments.
  • C.
    C) B AND you sign up for a workshop on how to have conversations with white folks in diversity and inclusion work.
  • D.
    D) B AND you sponsor a workshop on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and invite Suzie to attend.
  • E.
    E) B AND you set up a meeting with leadership to urge that diversity and inclusion be included in the company’s published code of ethics.
• 2.
  Neville is a cis gender Indian man. He wants to be included in talks about diversity in the workplace and is of the general opinion that diversity is a broad term. During a discussion on racial equity efforts in the workplace, he comments that he does not understand why the Black Employee Resource Group was created just for Black Employees because he thinks all people of color should be meeting together to discuss diversity and identity. What’s your response to Neville’s comment?

  • A.
    A) During your next interview with a candidate, you take time to frame the company’s stance on diversity and inclusion and make sure to explain that diversity must take into account distinct elements of identity such race, gender, sexual orientation, and class.
  • B.
    B) You post on social media that “diversity” should not be used as a blanket term because it does not acknowledge the specific challenges Black employees face.
  • C.
    C) After the discussion, your colleague leads a workshop on how diversity and inclusion are not mutually exclusive. You attend the workshop and offer your thoughts.
  • D.
    D) You explain to Neville that the Black ERG is a space intentionally created for Black employees and that thinking of diversity as a broad term often leaves out the specific needs of a specific group.
  • E.
    E) You secure funds from leadership for monthly workshops on diversity and inclusion led by external consultants and facilitators of color.
• 3.
  You’re an active member of your company’s ERGs (employee resource groups) and various company-led diversity and inclusion initiatives. You’ve noticed recently that when your team is celebrating its accomplishments, only white men are being recognized. You’re in a team meeting, and Fred, a white gay identified man is congratulated for his promotion, but Gazelle, a black woman, who was also promoted, is not? What are your next steps?

  • A.
    A) At the next meeting, you add an item to the agenda that calls for the celebration of each team members’ successes in the past week.
  • B.
    B) After the meeting, you find Gazelle to congratulate her on her promotion and to lament that her success was not acknowledged in the meeting.
  • C.
    C) In the next ERG meeting you attend, you voice that POCs and women are not being acknowledged for their accomplishments and suggest that the next meeting be centered around giving advice on how to advocate for yourself to receive the acknowledgement you deserve.
  • D.
    D) You organize a few of your team members who have also noticed a pattern of POC’s and women’s accomplishments not being celebrated and set up a meeting with your team lead. Together, you explain to him why the way meetings are being run is exclusionary, offer suggestions on how to make meetings inclusive, and demand that a change be implemented by the next meeting.
  • E.
    E) You collaborate with the Director of Operations to create and implement a company-wide meeting agenda template that gives each team member the opportunity to share their accomplishments at each meeting.
• 4.
  In a meeting, one of your colleagues—Tony— uses the word “ghetto” to describe their laptop that’s not working. Tony is a non-binary, white-identified Latinx colleague, and you’ve heard this same colleague describe some of your Black colleagues as “aggressive” “loud” and “unprofessional” in different contexts. You know these words have a history of being demeaning and derogatory towards the Black community. You’re most likely to:

  • A.
    A) Make a general comment at the next staff meeting, explaining that it’s important to be aware of the language we use each day, because of the connotation certain words carry.
  • B.
    B) Tell your Black colleague that you find Tony’s language unacceptable and that there shouldn't be space for such insensitive language at your company.
  • C.
    C) Take a workshop on microaggressions in the workplace to learn about how to effectively respond to Tony the next time they use offensive language.
  • D.
    D) Tell Tony that his language is offensive and explain to them why it is offensive. You also point Tony to resources that can provide tools to help people assess their language choice for cultural sensitivity.
  • E.
    E) You create and drive a campaign to require in depth trainings on cultural sensitivity and microaggressions as part of onboarding for new employees and to require that each employee receives similar trainings at least once a year.
• 5.
  Your direct report is a junior level director named Margaret, who is an Asian American cis gendered woman. She approached you to discuss Chantrelle the lone Black woman department head and Sr. Director at your company. Chantrelle has been very successful on projects and your experience with their management of you is stellar. Margaret shares that Chantrelle’s style is aggressive and combative and it delays project momentum. The project is actually ahead of schedule and in your experience Chantrelle is direct, professional and communicative. Margaret also states that she finds Chantrelle’s accent and tone unprofessional. What do you tell Margaret?

  • A.
    A) You ask Margaret to describe how she defines the terms aggressive and combative, because those are charged terms that have historically been used to describe Black women unfairly.
  • B.
    B) You ask Margaret probing questions in effort to have her articulate her challenge with Chantrelle. You guide her through the history of using microaggressions and charged language to unfairly disparage Black women in the workplace. You then invite her to reflect upon this history and consider whether bias is influencing her view of Chantrelle, especially considering your positive experience with her.
  • C.
    C) You tell Margaret that there’s a lot to unpack in her complaint and that you want to dedicate intentional time to do so. You seek coaching from your mentor on how best to approach Margaret’s complaint, because you sense she holds racialized biases against Chantrelle. You then set up time to speak with Margaret, and as per you mentor’s suggestion, you invite her to attend a microaggression training.
  • D.
    D) You tell Margaret that deeming a colleague’s accent as unprofessional is discriminatory and that as part of her professional development, you’re requiring her to attend trainings on how to acknowledge and address discrimination, racism, and microaggressions in the workplace.
  • E.
    E) You organize other managers to petition leadership to make cultural awareness, respect, and sensitivity factors explicitly weighed in performance reviews.
• 6.
  As Chair of your company’s Diversity employee resource group, you present the executive team with the groups recommendations for staffing diversity goals. The executive team responds that they believe the company is already very diverse. Through questioning, you realize they are referring to gender diversity rather than racial diversity. How do you proceed?

  • A.
    A) You explain the distinction between gender and racial diversity and urge that they keep those two definitions in mind as they consider the recommendations for staffing goals.
  • B.
    B) You explain the distinction between gender and racial diversity and make it explicit that focusing only on gender identity often leaves out POCs.
  • C.
    C) A, B AND you invite the executive team to attend an employee resource group meeting to gain a clearer understanding of the need to build intentional and inclusive spaces for people living at different intersections.
  • D.
    D) A,B AND you offer to lead a workshop for the executive team and upper leadership to explore strategies for building an inclusive workplace.
  • E.
    E) A,B AND you take the opportunity to suggest that staffing racial diversity goals be set and reviewed yearly. You follow up with the executive team after the presentation and present a proposal to implement your suggestion.
• 7.
  You are a member on a project and start to notice misogyny issues so rampant that you can't execute. The project lead, Thomas is a Black gay identified man. He tells you he thinks "women = dependable backup" and delegated mission-critical tasks to women—and disproportionately women of color—but forgets to empower them to execute. How are you most likely to respond?

  • A.
    A) Tell him that you find it unfair to assign tasks in a gendered manner.
  • B.
    B) Tell him that women on the team have been assigned the majority of the most complicated tasks but may not have enough support to execute them.
  • C.
    C) Recommend that instead of assigning tasks based on gender, he assigns tasks based on expertise, capacity, and interest to make the task delegation process more equitable. After talking to him, you send him an article on equitable project management.
  • D.
    D) Tell him that there’s a long history of women of color in particular in the workplace being expected to complete intricate tasks without support. You tell him you’ve noticed that dynamic at play on the project team and that it is negatively affecting the team. You suggest that he takes the time to re-evaluate how he has assigned tasks and to brainstorm strategies to support team members in efficiently completing tasks. You also offer to connect him with your professional development coach who specializes in employee advocacy.
  • E.
    E) D AND you organize other team members to put together a memo calling for the implementation of professional development plans for each employee including mandatory coaching on equitable project management. You present the memo to your department head.

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  Courteous Colleague

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  You tend to avoid using language that reinforces negative stereotypes. Recommended Reading: "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo
• 2.
  Affirming Advocate

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  You often provide affirmation to colleagues who advocate for increased inclusion and equity in you workplace or the tech industry. For example, you’re likely to advocate for people of color to be selected for a job opening or internship, or scholarship and spend time on social media talking about issues related to inclusion and equity in tech. Recommended Reading: "Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America" Fifth Edition by Edward Bonilla
• 3.
  Active Participant

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  You participate in collective efforts and organizations that aim to increase inclusion and equity in the tech industry. You actively seek out and participate in trainings related to inclusion and equity, and seek opportunities to provide mentorship or support to colleagues from underrepresented groups. Recommended Reading: "When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matters Memoir" by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
• 4.
  Leader

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  You often attempt to organize a group of people to advocate for inclusion and equity in the tech industry. You enjoy leading workshops, programs or activities related to inclusion and equity, and often challenge co-workers’ negative or stereotypical comments about a group of people. Recommended Reading: "Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements" by Charlene Carruthers
• 5.
  Challenger

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  You directly challenge your company for what they perceive to be discriminatory policies or practices, and frequently call for ways to make company policies and practices more inclusive and equitably. Recommended Reading: "Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds" by Adrienne Maree Brown