Fighting for equity in tech communities
The organization strives to make the Bay Area’s technology-driven economy more inclusive
Tech companies and their employees often get blamed for the massive inequity in the Bay Area in recent years, as the region’s housing and affordability crisis has only deepened. But instead of hoping for just tech company leaders to make changes or sign big checks, Catherine Bracy is working to encourage “rank-and-file” tech workers who want to improve their communities to learn about civic issues and help push for broadscale change from their often privileged positions.
Bracy founded the Techequity Collaborative in 2017, and the member-driven organization has already helped successfully push for major reforms, such as the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, also known as Assembly Bill 1482.
In the wake of protests sparked by the Memorial Day police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Bracy says some Bay Area tech companies that just last year were ignoring her collaborative’s calls to action are now reaching out to her to engage.
Q
How long have you been working in the space of diversity in tech and inequality in Silicon Valley? What made you want to get into that work?
A
As a Black woman in Silicon Valley, it seems like you’re always working on it, so by that measure it’s been about eight years, but I wouldn’t say it’s my profession. My work focuses on economic equity and policy, especially how we can make the Bay Area’s tech-driven economy more inclusive whether you work at a tech company or not. Naturally, there is some overlap with diversity and inclusion efforts but it is not the main thrust of Techequity’s work.
Q
What does your work look like? Why did you start Techequity Collaborative?
A
I started Techequity after Uber announced they were moving to Oakland in 2015 and a group of activists started a protest against the move. I was interested in it because I live across the street from the building. But it also struck me that something was deeply wrong with the economy when the most valuable privately-held company in the world could announce they were moving
thousands of good jobs to a place like downtown Oakland and the community would see that as a threat. I started doing some research to see if I could figure out how we got to this place and that led me to thinking about what it would take to get us out. What would need to change in order for the community to celebrate such an announcement instead of protest against it?
Very quickly it became clear that the answer lied in fixing the structural inequities in our economy that cause a booming sector to exacerbate inequality and displacement rather than create a rising tide. But the tech community seemed to be absent from conversations about how we get to solutions. I knew, from my previous work running the Obama campaign’s tech volunteer office in San Francisco and as the director of community organizing at Code for America, that there were lots of rankand-file tech workers who wanted to contribute to making their communities more equitable but they didn’t know how. So Techequity became a vehicle to help them get involved. We mobilize tech workers and companies to learn about and take action in two key areas: housing and workforce and labor.
Q In your experience, what are the biggest problems with inequality in tech? In other words, what groups are hurting the most from the current state of affairs?
A As with just about every aspect of our society, low-income communities of color are disproportionately suffering from the affordability crisis. That was true before COVID and it’s more true now. The fault for that does not lie solely at tech’s doorstep. Yes, tech companies have a responsibility to hire from and invest in these communities but even if we had tech companies doing the very best thing possible, we would still see disproportionate pain in communities of color because of the structural inequities in our economy.
Tech isn’t responsible for refusing to issue building permits for new housing. Tech didn’t pass Prop. 13. Tech didn’t outlaw affirmative action. We as citizens need to take responsibility for those decisions. Tech workers and companies have disproportionate power and privilege and have a unique opportunity to help right these wrongs but the responsibility is on all of us.
Q Who is gaining the most from the current state of affairs, and what steps do they need to be taking to make real change? Are those steps being taken?
A I’m heartened to see how many white people and other allies are now starting to realize how important it is to address structural change rather than just focus on charity work. We need the folks who currently have a disproportionate hold on power to be willing to give something up in order for the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts. It’s really exciting that people are starting to come on board with that.
Q How has the conversation around tech equity changed since the onset of recent protests? How have those changes affected you and Techequity Collaborative?
A More tech company leaders are receptive to our appeal that they get involved in politics and structural change work. They see that it’s not enough to do traditional corporate social responsibility work or to put out a press release. Their employees, and their customers, are demanding more. It’s refreshing to have them reach out to us now, when these same people may have been brushing us off six months ago.
Q What is one of the most common misunderstandings about equity in tech that you have encountered of which you want to change people’s understanding?
A That this is somehow a radical socialist idea and that we want to take down capitalism. Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, it should be very clear that when everyone has access to economic opportunity everyone benefits from that. We simply are not going to achieve a version of capitalism that works for everyone unless we make big, bold structural change. In my mind, that’s not a radical point of view. It should be painfully obvious to everyone that tinkering around the edges is not enough.
Q Does the tech industry at large bear enough responsibility to the communities in which they operate offices/campuses? Do you feel government leaders let tech companies off the hook too often, or use tech companies too often as a scapegoat?
A This might be slightly controversial, but in many ways I wish we asked less of tech companies. As I am fond of saying, no one elected Mark Zuckerberg or Tim Cook. We shouldn’t be expecting them to solve public policy challenges for us. It is an abdication of our democratic responsibility to do so. At the same time, they are uniquely positioned to help move the conversation and I will continue to encourage them to show up to participate in that democratic process.
Contact Joseph Geha at 408-707-1292.