Board 39: The In/Authentic Experiences of Black Engineers

The computer and information technology industry has received much attention in recent years due to its lack of diversity and the toxic culture in these companies. The United States population is 13% Black, but this representation is not reflected in the technology workforce. In fact, fewer than 5% of tech company employees identify as Black. These factors lead many Black employees to leave, costing companies billions of dollars to fill their positions–not to mention their perspectives and expertise. The lack of diversity can also affect worker wellbeing, productivity, and innovation. To interrogate this issue, our study examines the experiences of Black engineers through their own narratives. We aim to interview 40 engineers within the technology industry to understand their working conditions. The interviews will be held with 10 each of: Black males, Black Females, White males, and White females, in order to attend to the intersectional nature of race and gender. Each participant will provide their own individual experiences, which will allow us as researchers to examine, compare, and contrast across all accounts. Specifically, we will conduct narrative analysis using three different frameworks: Faulkner’s in/authenticity, Helms and Piper’s pairing of racial identity theory and vocational psychology, and Kendi’s history of racist ideas. Our findings will add to the depth of research on diversity by presenting our findings to stakeholders within the industry through different modes including presentations to industry leaders and at professional conferences. The end goal of this project is to create a more welcoming and diverse community within the computer and information technology industry.