“America’s greatness is a testament to generations of courageous individuals who, in the face of uncomfortable truths, accepted that the work of perfecting our nation is unending and strived to expand the reach of freedom to all. For too long, our most basic liberties had been denied to African Americas, and today, we pay tribute to countless good-hearted citizens – along the Underground Railroad, aboard a bus in Alabama, and all across our country – who stood up and sat in to help right the wrongs of our past and extend the promise of America to all our people…As we mark the 40th year of National African America History Month, let us reflect on the sacrifices and contributions made by generations of African Americans, and let us resolve to continue our march toward a day when every person knows the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” ~ President Barack Obama.
February is Black History Month – a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements of black Americans and their role in U.S. history. In drawing attention to the achievements of the past, we are reminded just how central history is in our lives today. But, as U.S. President Barack Obama reminds us in his proclamation for Black History Month, it’s also important to reflect on the present and recognize that our work is not yet done.
We know that within the tech industry, people of color are immensely underrepresented – reports vary, but between 1 - 2% of the tech workforce is black. We want to focus in on this issue and uncover how we can help share the Symantec brand within the African American community.
We are hosting a special event in Mountain View on February 18th in celebration of Black History Month: a networking mixer to re-introduce Symantec’s Black Employee Resource Group (SyBER), previously named Symantec Black Employee Network (SBEN). In partnership with HBCU Connect, a nonprofit alumni association for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, we are bringing together HBCU alumni in Silicon Valley, our Symantec employees, and Black Employee Resource Groups from other Bay Area companies.
Diversity in our workforce is essential to being innovative and competitive in today’s global marketplace. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are more than just a network of passionate employees; they are an invaluable resource for identifying and acting on potential solutions. SyBER will bring a strategic focus to the problem of tech industry underrepresentation, looking at four key areas:
- Workforce– how we can better recruit diverse talent;
- Workplace– how we will engage employees;
- Community– how we can carry our commitment beyond the four walls of our company; and
- Marketplace – how we will connect with customers
Here at Symantec, our employees are talented, passionate, and outspoken about the issues that affect our industry. We want to identify opportunities for them to help drive change, both within Symantec and externally in the broader industry. SyBER creates a place where employees have a voice. It creates an opportunity to lead, and to solve problems relevant to our business and to our entire community.
Darryl Cyphers is Symantec's Principal Project Manager, Ethics and Compliance and Co-chair, SyBER ERG