Designlab Update: Black Lives Matter

To our Designlab community:

What happened to George Floyd and so many others is an atrocity, and a reminder of the deep inequities that so many of us still face in the world today. We actively condemn racism in all its forms, and know that we can do better as a society. Black lives matter.

We started Designlab in part to build, from the ground-up, an institution that would address some of the structural inequalities that exist in the world around access to education—and we are still committed to doing this with core values centered around empowerment, accessibility, and empathy. With that in mind, here is the action plan we've committed to:

• We plan to bring forward the public launch of our scholarship program supporting individuals from underrepresented communities in the tech industry, and we are committed to furthering this effort. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
• We remain committed to reducing bias in our hiring & recruiting efforts for our internal team and mentor base, and we’re also working harder than ever to maintain a safe space through our online community which encourages inclusivity, support, and opportunities for all.
• We are partnering with organizations and individuals to host community webinars and workshops on topics like designing for inclusivity and accessibility, with the goal of truly building empathy and helping our community find ways to actively combat racism and lack of understanding through their work.

We will continue to listen, learn, and evolve our approach, and share further updates and initiatives as and when they happen.

We hope we can support each other through this challenging time with civil discourse... and emerge stronger on the other side, building a world rooted in deeper empathy and understanding.