This blog is based on our internal ‘DEI Resources, Learning and Development Wiki’ which we maintain as part of our ongoing commitment to DEI. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, but we’ll keep it updated with new resources as we find them. Think some valuable items are missing? Please email us to share – we’d love to see them!
A note that these resources are largely focused on Multitudes’s home, Aotearoa New Zealand. We’re always working to learn more about our neighbors, and will be updating this blog with sections about Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom as we find them.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is at the heart of what we stand for at Multitudes. It’s in our vision statement – “to build a world where every team is equitable” – and it’s woven throughout our values. We believe that everyone is better off without oppression getting in the way of living out their dreams and talents. We’re building Multitudes for the long term, and DEI is a huge part of that.
Of course, taking action on DEI is easier said than done. As an early-stage startup, we have limited time and resources – so we’ve been thoughtful and strategic about how we take action on DEI. We are often asked “how” we do DEI at Multitudes, so read on for our favorite resources that have guided our learning journey so far, and will continue to do so going forward.
Start here
Racism and white supremacy
Books and texts
Videos and documentaries
- The Color of Fear, a 90 minute film considering the state of race relations in America, as seen through the eyes of eight North American men of Asian, European, Latino and African descent
- Moving from "D&I" to Equitable Design, a 30 minute seminar from Aubrey Blanche
- Glad You Asked (S2), a series of 20 minute documentaries by Vox examining systemic racism in the United States
Podcasts
Articles
Organizations to support and where to donate
Solidarity with Palestinians
- BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) – Palestinians have taken a page from the South African anti-apartheid movement with their call to boycott and divest from companies that are supporting the ongoing Israeli occupation.
- Economic boycott of AirBnB, Expedia, Sodastream, Ahava, HP, Caterpillar, Puma, Sabra, Pampers, Starbucks, AWS, Google
- Musicians for Palestine, an initiative to boycott academic and pop culture groups from Israel
- Donate to Al Makassed Hospital
- Donate to Samir Mansour Bookstore, the only bookstore in Gaza; Israel bombed in the May 2021 attacks
- Build Palestine, a list of reputable groups that support Palestinians
History of indigenous racial discrimination
Aotearoa New Zealand
Books and texts
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a graphic novel on the founding document of Aotearoa, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. A special emphasis is put on unpacking the two versions of Te Tiriti and exploring their ongoing significance
- Ngāpuhi Speaks, an independent report about He Wakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (1835) & Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840). It summarises and assesses the Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu evidence given at the Initial Hearing of their Waitangi Tribunal claim (WAI 1040)
- The Easy Read Book about the Treaty of Waitangi, an ‘easy read’ book is a format that presents ideas and information in simple, step-by-step format with illustrations for each line of text. The author wrote this book in consultation with partners from the disability sector. It has a chapter on Māori rights and disability rights, also available in New Zealand Sign Language
- Maitike Mai Aotearoa, “To develop and implement a model for an inclusive Constitution for Aotearoa based on tikanga and kawa, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni of 1835, Te Tiriti o Waitangi of 1840, and other indigenous human rights instruments which enjoy a wide degree of international recognition”
Documentaries and videos
- Origins, host of Te Karere, Scotty Morrison, traces the journey of the first people to arrive in Aotearoa and also the history of the first people to walk the Earth. It features him traveling around the globe, from Polynesia to Asia to Africa
- He Tohu Interview with Moana Jackson features an awesome story from his own hapu about a woman that did not sign Te Tiriti
- Kōrero, a collection of videos from the He Tohu exhibition, from visitors to the exhibition and from well-known New Zealanders on He Whakaputanga, the Treaty of Waitangi, and also the Suffrage Petition
Workshops and organizations
- Tangata Tiriti (Treaty People), an education programme on the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, to build relationships between tangata tiriti – people of the Treaty (non-Māori), and tangata whenua – people of the land (Māori)
- Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga, a group committed to supporting Māori sovereignty through treaty education with Asian communities and solidarity with Māori-led movements. They also have workshops run by and for people of Asian descent
- Human Rights Commission can help source trainers to learn more about tikanga and te ao Māori.
Australia
- Acknowledge This!, a workshop for individuals and organizations to learn how to give an authentic Acknowledgement of Country (based online or in person in Australia)
- Jawun, an Australian, non-profit organisation which manages secondments from the corporate and public sectors to a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partner organizations in urban, regional and remote communities across Australia
- Indigitek (also check out their website), group working with indigenous people in tech in Australia
Algorithmic bias
Sexism and gender privilege
Women’s sexuality
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski debunks myths about women’s sexuality. Style of delivery might not be everyone’s cuppa but worth it for the content. Also great for hetero men/anyone interested in romantic relations with women!
Sexual orientation privilege
Body size privilege and body shaming
Ability privilege and ableism
Our favorite online people
A list of interesting, relevant people and organizations in the tech/DEI space to follow on Twitter:
Aotearoa New Zealand
- @amscraig - Feminist māori & pākehā working on body-positivity
- @aurynn - Tweets about contempt culture in tech, DevOps and InfoSec
- @ootoovak - Likes computers and people; Indigenous Canadian and New Zealand immigrant
- @WhiteRibbonNZ - White Ribbon is a global campaign led by men who condemn violence against women
- @WomenInUrbanism - Working to create more inclusive cities in New Zealand
- @allyskillsnz - Lauren’s DEI consultancy
Global
- @alicegoldfuss - SRE at Github who often talks about issues in tech
- @anildash - CEO of Fog Creek, does great comments on inclusivity; loves Prince
- @ashedryden - inclusivity in tech/AlterConf
- @delafina777 - games, history and social issues
- @ekp - CEO of Project Include; formerly Interim CEO of Reddit and a Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Tweets about social issues and inclusion in tech
- @ijeomaoluo - speaks about race and racism; Editor of The Establishment
- @lizthegrey - Staff SRE, soon-to-be Developer Advocate, Trans+queer
- @techinclusionco - Promotes solutions to diversity and inclusion; led by Change Catalysts
- @yonatanzunger - Ex-Google, now Humu; Tweets about ethics in tech
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