Black History Month is a time to celebrate progress and Black excellence and for remembrance for all that has been sacrificed to push progress forward. But it is also a reminder that the fight for change cannot be exclusive to February.
The mission of Tech901 is to cultivate an equitable culture of diversity and inclusivity not only in our programs but in the Memphis IT industry as a whole. In doing so, we must be in constant conversation with each other and with others about how Tech901 can educate, equip, and encourage.
“Diversity is something that we all have to work on. It is not just offering everyone the same opportunity; it is denouncing elitism and othering,” said Tonya Braden, soft skills instructor here at Tech901. “It is very nuanced and subtle, but it is something that employers need to research and survey staff regularly to create a more inclusive environment. Things are changing every day, so we have to try to include them in our language.”
Providing equity of opportunity to our students is a core pillar of our identity. We’re committed to better representing Memphis’s rich diversity, which is unfortunately not reflected in IT industry norms. According to the latest U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whites comprise 63.5% of the IT industry, while people of color comprise the remaining 46.5%. This is something we see as unacceptable.
Tech901’s adult student body in 2021 included 69% persons of color and 32% women, both reflective of Memphis’ demographic makeup (72% persons of color and 34% women). These are encouraging signs that our mission is making an impact.
“Tech901 is helping provide the equity piece partially through closing the cost gap,” said LaTonya Starks, head of admissions. “We’re not just offering opportunities to students who are already capable, but we’re branching off and making sure everyone can get a piece of this manifesting movement that’s growing something great in Memphis.”
Providing equity requires a top-to-bottom team effort and is often left out of diversity initiatives. We believe it to be intrinsically crucial to our organization’s foundation. Fostering this environment is not easy and requires effort both within the workplace and outside of it. There are always things we can learn, improvements to be made, and increased efforts we can make. While we believe Tech901 has brought forth improvements to the Memphis area IT industry, we know there is still much work left to establish a lasting change in our community.
We encourage you to participate in our year-round mission to serve and represent our community holistically for this year’s Black History Month. Together, there is hope to use the successes and supply of Tech901 graduates to provide equity of opportunity, address the poverty and systemic challenges in the Memphis area, and manage the workforce needs of Memphis area employers.