15 Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Slack Communities to Follow if you Work in Tech

The following insight was written by Melissa Chenok, Group Product Manager at Quorum. 

Communities in slack are steadily growing day after day, boasting 44+ million daily active users across the globe! Especially in this time of remote work and social distancing, Slack helps small and large teams improve their productivity by acting as a hub of communication and transparent information to improve workflow. In addition to being the go-to team communication and collaboration tool, public Slack communities have become a medium for students, professionals and groups across the globe to share tips and tricks, provide resources that others can leverage, and engage in meaningful conversation on a myriad of topics.

One area of growing conversation in communities (both in-person and slack) is that of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in the technology space. Organizations are putting time and resources into learning about how to best advocate and promote inclusive and diverse environments for their team members. Slack communities offer a unique platform for companies to communicate about, bounce ideas, and adopt D&I best practices from leaders and organizations paving the way for D&I in tech.

Sifting through thousands of slack channels to find what you’re looking for is not the most exciting thing that you could be doing, so in order to help you figure out which D&I in tech focused Slack groups to join, I’ve rounded up the best communities for folks who are interested in learning best practices and communicating with others around diversity and inclusion best practices & resources for technology communities. Some of these communities are built specifically for geographical areas where others are focused on subsets of inclusion and diversity, though all of them have resources to share and folks to bounce ideas off of. Keep scrolling and sign up for any that peak your interest! Let me know if there are any D&I communities that i’ve missed!

1. Path for Progress  — The Path for Progress Community helps small and medium businesses (1–500 employees) build inclusion and diversity programs from the ground up. Everyone from entry-level employees to executives come together in this community to create a network of people and accessible resources that promote inclusion and diversity.
2. #People — Connect with 5,000+ HR professionals, managers and people interested in organizational psychology, jump in on Q&As and AMAs, and solicit feedback and advice. Popular channels include #culture-chat, #employee-experience, #problem-situations and #interviewing.
3. Out in Tech — Out in Tech is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that unites the LGBTQ+ tech community. They do this by creating opportunities for their 30,000+ members to advance their careers, grow their networks, and leverage tech for social change. Out in Tech has active chapters in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Portland, Chicago, DC, Boston, and Austin — with more on the way!
4. Blacks in Technology — Blacks In Technology is a tech-focused organization centered around increasing diversity in technology through technical excellence and building connections. Blacks In Technology (BIT) is “Stomping the Divide” by establishing a blueprint of world class technical excellence and innovation by providing resources, guidance and issuing a challenge to our members to surpass the high mark and establish new standards of global innovation.
5. Techqueria — Latinx in Tech — Techqueria is a nonprofit representing one of the largest communities for Latinx professionals in the tech industry. This Latinx-centered space revolves around career advice, technical talks, mentorship, open jobs, upcoming events/conferences, speaking opportunities, and open-source. Folks in the Techqueria community come from all walks of life and believe that the diversity of the community is the most reliable asset they have.
6. ChiTechDiversity — ChiTechDiversity focuses on supporting technologists from underrepresented communities, though everyone is welcome and encouraged to contribute to the conversation. This is an intentionally anti-sexist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, anti-ablest, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment space. We value inclusion through and through!
7. The Brave Space — The Brave Space supports Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practitioners in tech creating not just a safe space, which avoids controversy or contradiction, but a brave space to have difficult conversations about topics related to DEI. Bravery is necessary because “learning involves not merely risk, but the pain of giving up a former condition in favor of a new way of seeing things.”
8. She+ Geeks Out — She+ Geeks Out’s mission is to empower womxn in the workplace and educate, promote, and support diverse and inclusive companies and organizations. They provide tech and tech-adjacent womxn and their allies an opportunity to network and connect with each other as well as with companies who wish to hire them. At the same time, She+ support companies in their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and tools to create an inclusive environment, in a safe and welcoming space.
9. People Geeks — A “People Geek” is someone who is dedicated to enabling people and passionate about the power of employee feedback. People Geeks can work in People Ops, Recruitment, HR, or as CEOs at fast-growing tech companies. It’s not about the title, it’s about the spirit. All aspects of people operations increasingly rely on tech, and being a geek is all about the love of getting your hands dirty with data to increase Diversity and Inclusion through measurement, analytics, and statistics. People Geeks are excited about the potential for data and insights to drive a better world of work.
10. Resources for Humans — With 8000+ people in their #diversity-inclusion channel, Resources for Humans provides a large community of forward thinking people looking to advance their craft and contribute to diversity and inclusion conversations and network with other professionals.
11. LGBTQ in Technology — The LGBTQ in Technology Slack is a space for LGBTQ people in technology to chat and support each other. Anybody who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and those questioning whether they fit into those or any of the many other sub-genres of people who are not generally considered both “straight” and cis.
12. Natives in Tech — Natives in Tech is a coalition of Native and non-Native software developers whose goal is to support software application development that reinforces Native beliefs, knowledge, and identity. This is achieved through four initiatives: networking with aspiring and experienced developers alike, creating a strong social media presence on platforms familiar to developers, hosting a yearly Natives in Tech conference, and building open source software that Native peoples can use to cultivate healthy online communities.
13. Tech Sisters Workspace — A community that challenges the perception of Muslim women by highlighting their accomplishments in the technical space and inspiring through mentorship and collaboration.
14. Women in Technology — A safe, confidential space for women who work in technology to chat and support each other. Please consider joining us whether you are new to the tech industry or you are a long-time practitioner.
15. The Icon Project — The Icon Project programs work towards creating wellness and leadership development opportunities in the lives of Black and Brown Men in tech.