A space uniting diversity-focused technology groups in Chicago.

We're fortunate to have so many amazing meetups and organizations in Chicago that target underrepresented groups in technology and development.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a single place for the organizers and members of these groups to connect and collaborate on the issues we care about?
Great news, now there is!
Join Us
On Slack
~ What does “diversity” mean to the CTDI Slack group?

This is an intentionally anti-sexist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, anti-ablest, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment space. We value inclusion through and through!

~ Why have another slack group? What’s the value of having one focused on diversity?

Firstly, there are a number of amazing diversity-focused technology groups in Chicago that all bring their own unique value to the community, but there is no widely used, open space where all of these forces can converge.

There is also great value in carving out a space where a community can define the culture, values, and overall tone of the group from the very beginning and from the perspective of those who do not often get to do so in the broader technological space.

~ Who can join?

This group is focused on supporting technologists from underrepresented communities, but everyone is welcome and encouraged to contribute to the conversation.

  • Community members - People of all skill levels are welcome to join, learn, make friends, and get help in improving their technology skills.
  • Community organizers - Chat, share resources, and get support with other diversity-focused organizers in Chicago.
  • Companies - Support the community and share opportunities with Slack members.
  • Allies - We mean it when we say everyone is welcome. Learn how to be a better ally and support those looking to improve their skills.

All members are required to follow the Code of Conduct. Refer to the the community rules and guidelines to ensure the best experience as part of the slack group.

~ How do I use slack?

Slack is composed of “channels” and “messages”. Channels are chat rooms focused on a particular group or topic and can be either public or private depending on how the channel was created. Messages are private messages between two or more people. Both channels and messages can be created in the slack sidebar. For more tips on how to use slack, check out their getting started page. If you still have questions, hop into the channel #help and a group admin will help you out!

~ Okay I just logged into the group, now what?

Great! We’re so happy to have you. Add info to your profile like your gender pronouns, where you work/study, or any pertinent info you feel comfortable sharing. Read more about the etiquette of the group. Join the channel #introductions and give us a one message introduction of yourself. Browse through the channels and find the ones that interest you! You are welcome to join ANY public channel and can join a private channel by invitation. Most importantly, have fun and do not hesitate to ask questions!

~ Can I create a channel?

Yep! Be sure to look through the channels to make sure something related to your topic does not already exist. If you are not sure, or would like guidance in creating it, feel free to reach out for assistance in the #help channel.

~ Can I post a job opportunity?

Yes. Any company or individual can post job opportunities. Be prepared to answer questions about your company. Also, be sure that your posting falls within the guidelines of the Slack group’s rules, guidelines, and code of conduct.

~ Can I post an event?

Absolutely. Anyone in any group can post events, but be prepared to answer questions regarding the event. Just make sure that your posting falls within the guidelines of the slack group’s rules, guidelines, and code of conduct.

please review and agree to the

Chicago Technology Diversity Initiative: Code of Conduct

Note Slack community in this document refers to the Chicago Technology Diversity Initiative organization at chitechdiversity.slack.com. The administrators refers to the administrators of this organization; a list is available at the top of theTeam Directory. Note that you must be a member of the organization to view this list.

Our Goal

This community is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.

Applicability and Scope

This code of conduct applies to all of this community's spaces, including public channels, private channels and direct messages, both online and off. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from these spaces at the discretion of the administrators.

Toward a Welcoming and Safe Environment

We hope to create an environment in which diverse individuals can collaborate and interact in a positive and affirming way. Examples of behavior that contributes to creating this sort of environment include:

  • Using welcoming and inclusive language
  • Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
  • Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
  • Focusing on what is best for the overall community
  • Showing empathy towards other community members

Anti-Harassment Statement

This community will not tolerate harassment of any kind. Examples of harassment include:

  • Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, pregnancy status, veteran status, political affiliation, marital status, body size, age, race, national origin, ethnic origin, nationality, immigration status, language, religion or lack thereof, or other identity marker. This includes anti-Indigenous/Nativeness and anti-Blackness.
  • Unwelcome comments regarding a person's lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, relationships, drugs, and employment.
  • Deliberate misgendering, using inappropriate pronouns, or use of "dead" or rejected names.
  • Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behavior in spaces where they're not appropriate.
  • Physical contact and simulated physical contact (eg, textual descriptions like "hug" or "backrub") without consent or after a request to stop.
  • Threats of violence.
  • Threats of violence.
  • Incitement of violence towards any individual or group, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm.
  • Deliberate intimidation.
  • Stalking or following - online or in the physical world.
  • Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.
  • Sustained disruption of discussion.
  • Unwelcome sexual attention.
  • Patterns of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others.
  • Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease.
  • Deliberate "outing" of any aspect of a person's identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse.
  • Publication of non-harassing private communication.

Jokes that resemble the above, such as 'hipster racism', still count as harassment even if meant satirically or ironically.

If you have questions or concerns about these issues please feel free to message an admin or ask for an opportunity to explore the issue with a moderator and volunteers.

Reporting

If you are being harassed by a member of our community, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact the administrators via email at admins@chitechdiversity.com. If the person who is harassing you is on the admin team, they will not be involved in handling or resolving the incident.

The admin team will respond to any complaint as promptly as possible we can. If you do not get a timely response (for example, if no admins are currently online) then please put your personal safety and well-being first, and consider logging out and/or contacting the admins by email at admins@chitechdiversity.com.

This code of conduct applies to our community's spaces, but if you are being harassed by a member of our community outside our spaces, we still want to know about it. We will take all good-faith reports of harassment by our members, especially the administrators, seriously. This includes harassment outside our spaces and harassment that took place at any point in time. The abuse team reserves the right to exclude people from the community based on their past behavior, including behavior outside of our spaces and behavior towards people who are not in this slack.

In order to protect volunteers from abuse and burnout, we reserve the right to reject any report we believe to have been made in bad faith. Reports intended to silence legitimate criticism may be deleted without response.

Enforcement Process

Every code of conduct violation report will be treated with seriousness and care. If a member's immediate safety and security is threatened, an individual admin may take any action that they deem appropriate, up to and including temporarily banning the offender from the community. In less urgent situations, at least two admins will discuss the offense and mutually arrive at a suitable response, which will be shared with the offender privately. Whatever the resolution that they decide upon, the decision of the admins involved in a violation case will be considered final.

We will respect confidentiality requests for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse. At our discretion, we may publicly name a person about whom we've received harassment complaints, or privately warn third parties about them, if we believe that doing so will increase the safety of our members or the general public. We will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent.

Consequences

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the administrators may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from the community and identification of the participant as a harasser to other members. At the discretion of the admins, or by request, one or more of the parties involved may request to discuss the violation and how to avoid similar situations in the future.

Acknowledgements

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Community Covenant (http://community-covenant.net), version 1.0, available at http://community-covenant.net/version/1/0/. The Community Covenant is an open source effort and is built on codes of conduct that came before it, including the Contributor Covenant (http://contributor-covenant.org/) and the LGBTQ in Tech community code of conduct (http://lgbtq.technology/coc.html).

License

Covenant by Coraline Ada Ehmke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Based on a work at http://community-covenant.net/.