An Anti-Racist Future
The last few weeks have been a reminder of the deep and institutionalized racism that exists both in the United States and around the world. We cannot be surprised by, and, at the same time, cannot accept this reality.
Turing Community,
The last few weeks have been a reminder of the deep and institutionalized racism that exists both in the United States and around the world. We cannot be surprised by, and, at the same time, cannot accept this reality. As the national conversation evolves, we’ve spent this time learning, listening, protesting, loving, and supporting.
The Turing School is grounded in our mission of empowering individuals to shape their lives, families, and communities through work. Collectively those individuals will create a more just world. While we fight for that future on the inside, we exist within the larger context. George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are our most recent reminders of the realities of being Black in America. Our students, staff, alumni, and board members continue to share their own experiences, connecting that outside world to our own.
We’re built to disrupt the status quo of the tech industry while working within the inequitable systems around us. White supremacy is deeply rooted in American culture, and especially in tech. We recognize that many of our norms and assumptions are influenced by that culture. Organizationally we still have much to learn and improve to create equity and an actively anti-racist community. We believe in turning intention into action and are immediately focused on:
Institutional Practices
- Implementing anti-racist practices across our curriculum, systems, and structures.
- Honoring our Black and marginalized community members by elevating their voices, experiences, struggles, and successes across our community.
- Learning from experts in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion by studying their research, engaging in active review of our methods and practices, and participating in extensive conversation to align both our thinking and action to the path of justice.
Student Experience
- Reinforcing our student-led groups where people can find their own community-within-the-community and advocate for the change we believe in.
- Rebuilding our approach to 1-to-1 mentoring to find every student the individualized support of someone who has walked a similar path before.
- Continuing to improve our instructional practices to ensure that we disrupt traditional power structures and implicit tools of white supremacy.
Community Advocacy
- Amplifying the conversation of anti-racist activism both inside Turing and within the companies where our alumni are employed.
- Improving our execution of creating safe spaces for difficult conversations around topics of power, race, equity, and oppression.
- Actively challenging the white people in our community to understand other experiences, see the potential for meaningful change, and become supportive activists in this movement.
Over six years we have learned so much and yet there is still so far to go. The work we have done is not enough, and these listed efforts are only a starting point in our quest for justice. We do know that together, as one community, through learning, dialogue, and action, we can keep moving forward.
With love and gratitude,
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|Courtney Haynes|Jeff Casimir|Lindsey Lucero|Katelyn Kasperowicz|
|W. Ian Douglas|Hannah Hudson|Kat Scriver|Emma Byers|
|Ryan Frank|Ellen Mary Hickmann|Allison Reu Singer|Tim Tyrrell|
|Dione Wilson|Michael Dao|Travis Rollins|Cory Westerfield|
|Robert Gu|Erin Williams|Anna Kummerlowe|Leta Keane|
|David Whitaker|Meg Stang|Kayt Hensley|Robyn Purvin|
|Scott Ertmer|Rachel Martinez|Pamela Lovett|Ingrid Alongi|
|Ramiro Vaca|Megan McMahon|Jorge Téllez|Darren Smith|
|Amy Holt|Tanner Welsh|Robbie Jaeger|Brian Zanti|
|Casey Dallavalle|Alex Robinson|Khalid Williams|Tracey Monteiro|
|Sal Espinosa|| | |