What a Black tech movement might look like

Dr. Fallon Wilson is, like civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, sick and tired of being sick and tired. Hamer and Wilson were both talking about a lack of progress on civil rights, but Wilson is talking specifically about data, AI, and tech from companies that have for years failed to make meaningful progress on diversity and inclusion initiatives. In a speech at the Kapor Center in Oakland, California, she said people cannot rely on companies like Facebook or Google to bring about meaningful change. "The truth is that the business of diversity and inclusion in tech companies will never eradicate structural racism, and I think we have to be clear about that," she said. "They cannot be the weathervane, nor should they, of what equitable progress looks like for Black people in this country as it relates to tech. Wilson was not referencing recent events like boycotts over Facebook's willingness to profit from hate or renewed diversity promises from Google and Microsoft.