Last week, we partnered with Code2040 to host their first PopUp event here at CircleCI HQ. The PopUp series is designed to engage the broader community, in particular rising Black and Latinx tech professionals. We were delighted to host the Code2040 team, an incredible panel of guest speakers (including our very own Jose Browne!) and an audience of 75 attendees. Over the course of the evening, we explored the theme Getting Ahead. Panelists offered stories from their own experience as Latinx and Black tech professionals, and shared some valuable and hard-won wisdom.
The panel comprised Jose Browne, Staff Engineer at CircleCI; Marco Rogers, Director of Engineering at Lever; Raena Saddler Schellinger, Head of Product & People Operations at Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation; Nadia Gathers, Internal Communications at GitHub and a member of the Stanford d.School teaching team; as well as the moderator, Code2040’s Senior Director of Community Mobilization Mimi Fox Melton.
“Fifteen years ago it was just white people and me. My journey had me getting further and further from my people to get ahead. Now, being able to sit in this room full of black & brown people, this only happened in the last few years. I had to convince myself that it’s not a big deal and that it’s okay. I’m still unlearning that. You can’t just let that trauma go. I feel better and more centered with more of my people around me. I can be black in a space where I couldn’t always be black.” — Marco Rogers
For those who couldn’t make it, we’ve condensed the 10 most valuable takeaways for you. Check them out on Code2040’s blog.
Thank you again to our partners Code2040 and the incredible panelists for making this amazing event happen!
