Python and Diversity
NUMFocus is a non-profit organization that supports open-source projects like NumPy, SciPy and Pandas. If your familiar with any of these projects, you should donate to NUMFocus. They also support women and minorities, which I'd like to talk about here.
A couple months back I received a diversity scholarship to PyData Seattle. I wasn't expecting it to attend, but I applied anyway and got the award.
It was obvious that there was an effort to foster diversity at the conf. There was a record amount of women in attendance, discussions on diversity, and increasing demographic that reflects America. As a black male from rural Kansas, I liked seeing a diverse conference. We need more of it, especially in tech.
That is why I believe diversity scholarships should be offered at all tech conferences. It will cut societal bias and make it easier for women and minorities to attend. It's also a good pipeline for companies looking to diversify their team.
I'll end with this. Python is here to stay. Not because it's a powerful language and champions tools for data analysis. It's here to stay because the Python community understands the power of diversity. Just read the diversity statement for proof.
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