[OSGeo-Discuss] Diversity in FOSS4G

Mon Aug 13 06:39:41 PDT 2018

Hey folks,

It is great to see so much discussion about what our standard as a
community are for defining a successfully event.

I would suggest that we codify our goals towards diversity and inclusion
into the Code of Conduct (CoC). This would make it clearer about what
values we as a community hold and aspire to.

Please let me express my respect for everyone else's thoughts and feelings
here. I am a sys white mail in my 40s who has been part of many communities
including ones where the majority are male, female, Chilean, or white guys.
I cannot speak for anyone else and I hope that the comments I share are
taken in the positive helpful manor in which I intent them to be.

When I was working on the FOSS4G Boston 2017 I was overwhelmed by the many
factors that go into choosing speakers and keynotes. My intention for the
conference was to be as inclusive and welcoming as I could make it. I
attempted to do this by bringing multiple local communities which I knew
about into the planning of the event and also trying to encourage people to
do out reach to groups that I felt were not well represented.

I am still not sure how to judge how I did in this effort. Is the goal to
invite the right people who would represent the community? Is the goal to
make sure you have the right mix of people who would represent the
community? What is the benchmark? Which underrepresented group should you
be measuring? Can you ask demographic questions of people attending to
measure your success?

Personally, I struggled with the idea of diversity. Not that diversity
isn't important, but creating diversity may sometimes lead to quotas and
tokenism. I never want someone to feel like they are being singled out to
participate because I need to reach a diversity goal.

For me it would be helpful if our values and priorities around diversity
were written out in the CoC. I think there could be a strong case made for
focusing our community efforts on bringing more women into our events, but
I also think the same could be said for communities of color, youth,
impoverished, and others.

I think that being clear and specific about what goals and objectives we
have as a community is an important step towards understanding who we are
as a community.

I look forward to the continued discussion.

Thank you for your time,

Guido

On Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 8:38 AM adam steer <adam.d.steer at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all
>
> I appreciate this topic arising. I appreciate the efforts of the FOSS4G
> Dar committee; and the reasons for their decisions. I also appreciate that
> the FOSS4G Asia LOC have a different operating environment and look forward
> to hearing about their drivers. And I appreciate discussion about various
> factors affecting diversity and audiences. From FOSS4G Oceania experience
> it’s not an easy discussion to get right - I hope we all make the best
> effort we can.
>
> I also want to avoid papering over a substantially disheartening part of
> this particular e-mail conversation.
>
> Earlier in this discussion thread a research paper was rolled out as
> evidence that women choose to do STEM less; with the argument following
> that aiming for levels of attendance and speakership at FOSS4G conferences
> which represent the population is over-reach; and then a few people jumping
> on the sciencing wagon.
>
> So I read the paper. …and I'm puzzled that in 2018, such a work would be
> latched onto and held up as truth without question. I would certainly not
> try to use it as a platform to base a solid argument on.
>
> What was more disappointing is that this work was repeatedly held up as
> canon and defended, as a counter to Maria’s patient attempts to inject some
> living experience into discussion about a topic on which she has invested
> vast time and energy (and whose initial assessment of the work was actually
> completely correct)!
>
> A great first step to increase diversity and inclusion would be to avoid
> this type of top down lecturing and engage with experience - and then
> listen. To stories like Vicky’s. To the experience of Maria and Maria; to
> the committee from FOSS4G Asia who have made choices for reasons we don’t
> know; and from FOSS4G in Dar, who made choices for very clear reasons
> because they were able to; and aimed to have a specific impact (which I
> hope, has worked).
>
> Back to lurking now..
>
> Adam
>
>
> --
> Dr. Adam Steer
> https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adam_Steer
> http://au.linkedin.com/in/adamsteer
> http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0046-7236
> +61 427 091 712 <+61%20427%20091%20712>
> skype: adam.d.steer
> tweet: @adamdsteer
>
> On 13 August 2018 at 21:21, Jeff McKenna <jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Thank you for sharing these personal stories Vicky.
>>
>> There are so many different cultural factors at our FOSS4G events around
>> the world.
>>
>> How can we make sure that FOSS4G events are both diverse and inclusive?
>>
>> I think the first step is always to try contacting the FOSS4G local
>> committee directly.  And if you are concerned of a FOSS4G event but don't
>> know who to contact, just send me a quick email and I'll forward you the
>> direct contact.  In the case of FOSS4G-Asia, I would forward you to
>> Nimalika from OSGeo-Sri Lanka, who has been so kind to listen and take the
>> advice back to her local organizing committee, where they can discuss and
>> make the necessary changes.
>>
>> I also feel that old-school talking directly is still very important, and
>> look forward to speaking directly of these issues with leaders Malena,
>> María and others in Dar es Salaam.  This is why I hop on a plane for a 40
>> hour trip, to work together on these issues so we can all continue to
>> create great FOSS4G events of all sizes.
>>
>> -jeff
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2018-08-13 12:57 AM, Vicky Vergara wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all
>>>
>>> I went to the last FOSS4G Asia in Hyderabad, India, within IIIT
>>> university premises.
>>> There I met wonderful students.
>>> I was actually impressed with a particular female student, very bright,
>>> and with lots of ideas to tell.
>>>
>>> I invited her to eat out.
>>> She could not go out of the university, because her father had forbidden
>>> her to go out of the University premises.
>>> I asked, where is your father?
>>> She told me he lived about 300km to the north, and that when she needed
>>> to go out, he would drive to take her to where she needed to go.
>>>
>>> Culture: not obey the (family/religion/legal) rules is not an option.
>>> She follows the rules, she is obedient.
>>>
>>> What do you expect for woman who live that kind of culture, that we
>>> don't understand, not even a 1%?
>>> If woman like her, get invited to be a keynote speaker, what is the
>>> probability for her to go?
>>>
>>> Can you fight a culture that is completely different to occidental
>>> cultures?
>>> Can you fight that culture, sitting in front of your computer, in
>>> England, USA, Mexico?
>>>
>>> What would you tell her if you had that conversation?
>>> In my particular case, I told her:
>>> I am sure my father has the same concerns as your father, that is why he
>>> came with me.
>>>
>>> And we ate in the University.
>>>
>>> I invited my father, I paid his airplane ticket, hotel, food, souvenir,
>>> etc.
>>> The reason that I invited him is: I wanted to fit in the culture as much
>>> as possible.
>>> When passing through customs, he was called, and he had to do the
>>> talking.
>>> When going shopping or eating, the cashier first interaction was
>>> directed to him.
>>>
>>> I can't fight a culture, I have to blend in.
>>>
>>> But I am glad that, this student's father is letting her study.
>>> And maybe, in the future, she will have daughters that will go to the
>>> University and they will be able to go out of the University premises to
>>> eat.
>>> And she will have grand-daughters that will can go out of the country
>>> (without a chaperon) and be speakers.
>>>
>>> Regards
>>> Vicky
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 6:19 PM, Ben Caradoc-Davies <ben at transient.nz
>>> <mailto:ben at transient.nz>> wrote:
>>>
>>>     On 12/08/18 21:14, María Arias de Reyna wrote:
>>>
>>>         No, this is not a dismissal based on opinions. It is based on
>>> facts.
>>>         This paper falls into the "correlation does not imply causation"
>>>         fallacy:
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation
>>>         <
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation>
>>>
>>>
>>>     Yes, but lack of correlation refutes causation. That is their point:
>>>     gender equality does *not* cause equality of STEM gender outcomes.
>>>
>>>     Science requires humility. There is no greater experience in science
>>>     than refuting your own hypothesis because it means that you might
>>>     have discovered something non-obvious. The obvious hypothesis in
>>>     this study was that equality of STEM gender outcomes would improve
>>>     with gender equality. Their surprising discovery is the opposite.
>>>     While there is much conjecture as to the cause, the core finding is
>>>     remarkable, good science, and worthy of publication (in my
>>>     uninformed opinion as a layman).
>>>
>>>     Kind regards,
>>>
>>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Adam Steer
> https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adam_Steer
> http://au.linkedin.com/in/adamsteer
> http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0046-7236
> +61 427 091 712 <+61%20427%20091%20712>
> skype: adam.d.steer
> tweet: @adamdsteer
> _______________________________________________
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