Outcolor: The Future of Tech for the Black and Brown Community
By Jared Karol
Imagine an Employee Resource Group (ERG) for all black and brown talent in the tech industry that is independent of any one organization — a group focused on getting people hired, not specific company metrics; a community that creates opportunities for black and brown people in the tech industry to talk about their experiences in a supportive environment; a collective that provides access to thriving networks and human capital as well as training and education; a resource for guidance in navigating a system that people of color in the tech community have largely been excluded from.
This group now exists, and it’s called Outcolor.
Outcolor is an extension of Outco, a Software Engineer Interview Prep with a four-week technical and non-technical curriculum aimed at getting engineers great jobs at top companies. I sat down with with Outcolor co-founders Joshua Encarnacion and Maurice Wilkins and asked why there is such an urgent need for a group like Outcolor, given that a successful program like Outco — initially designed to increase representation of black and brown folks in tech — already exists.
Joshua and Maurice only had to look at the makeup of their current Outco classes to arrive at an obvious answer. “We’re seeing the same representation in the class as there is in the tech industry at large,” Joshua said, “less than 10% black and brown folks.” Why is that? Joshua and Maurice think that it can difficult to recruit black and brown people to join a program like Outco because of the cost of attending. So they created Outcolor to make a greater impact by addressing some of the same issues without someone having to come to the program.
Outcolor is in its infancy, not more than a month old as of this writing. So, how is it going to look as it grows? “Right now, it’s just an idea,” says Joshua. “We’re taking it event by event; effort by effort.” There’s a plan to build out a full site and maybe start a Slack group, but both he and Maurice know that that online solutions are only effective if they have the power to pull people together in person.
“That’s what makes us unique,” says Maurice. “We understand that relationships are built on actually meeting in person. We’re really trying to add the human element. This must be central to everything we do.” It’s Community Building 101, says Joshua, which is badly needed in a field like tech that inherently dehumanizes human interactions.
Personal experiences and a sense of loyalty to do right by their community are driving both Joshua and Maurice to do this work. Both have experienced discrimination, have been denied access due to lack of privilege, and are constantly having to create their own opportunities. Case in point: despite outreach to companies for financial support, and even though they have a solution to the problem that people in the valley say they want solved, no one has sponsored Outcolor yet. So they’re funding it themselves.
This can be frustrating, of course, but there’s no chance it will derail the efforts. “If I were to deny my entire community, how do I go home and talk to my mom?” asks Joshua. “I have to ask myself, ‘Who are you doing this for at the end of the day?’”
Maurice sees a big in-group/out-group dynamic between the people who graduated from elite universities and those who didn’t. He attended Morehouse College, an HBCU in Atlanta with some recognition, but still, he says, “The access to opportunities and resources in tech are not the same. I’ve had to navigate coming to the valley and answering the question of where I went to school and people not getting how I work in tech.” It’s this normative thought process and behavior in tech (and the country as a whole) that motivates Maurice to change the system and create a community like Outcolor.
But while the tech establishment may be slow to support the Outcolor effort, engineers of color have received it very well. This was evidenced by Outcolor’s first event last month held at Thumbtack: BuildUp Tech: Diversity & Inclusion in Tech — a collaboration with NOBLETacks, Thumbtack’s black ERG. It was an evening dedicated to discussing opportunities to increase the representation of people of color in the tech industry.
I attended that event, and the energy in the room was palpable. The topics of discussion were extremely relevant, and the ensuing conversations were lively, passionate and very intentional. The vibe in the room was nothing short of electric, and I could feel a strong sense of appreciation that an event like this bringing together the community was taking place. The original idea was to host 100 people, and in three days 150 people RSVP’d for the event — clearly showing that there is a high demand.
“The Thumbtack event is a prime example of what we’d like to see happen more often,” says Joshua, and they’ve already got two more event planned. One is the AUC Tech Groove in Atlanta, Georgia on April 28, 2017 — a fusion of tech culture and African American music and culture — designed to facilitate broader conversations around what representation looks like, and how to break into careers in the valley and other tech hubs. “Silicon Valley seems like a far off place that no one can access. We’re bringing the valley to Atlanta in a thoughtful and intentional way.”
The second event is a hack-a-thon, in partnership with Brandon Anderson, founder of Raheem AI, a chatbot that records your stories about interactions with the police, held March 31 through April 2 in San Francisco at Pivotal Labs.
As Outcolor continues to grow, Joshua and Maurice plan to put on more events like these ones that will build the momentum they’ve started. Joshua sums it up nicely: “We want to focus on the celebration, the affirmation, the validation, the reward — not feeling insane for the fact that you know you’re a little out of place and out of touch in a space like this because it’s not designed for you. It’s going back to a place that allows us to reminisce about when we did fit in. We all came from that — where we all did fit in. There was some sort of support system. For people of color that’s not there at large and hopefully we can build that.”
About Change Catalyst:
Change Catalyst empowers diverse, inclusive and sustainable tech innovation — through events, consulting, research and training.
Our Tech Inclusion programs explore and develop innovative solutions to tech diversity and inclusion.
Our Startup Ecosystem programs help underrepresented entrepreneurs and investors to start, scale and fund worldchanging businesses.
Change Catalyst is a Certified B Corp, winning the “Best for the World” award for community impact in 2014 and “Best in the World” overall in 2015.
The Change Catalyst Team
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