Grandmothers and Diversity
As Spring is upon us it’s this procrastinator’s perfect time to tell you what exciting things the FINOS Diversity & Inclusion Committee are working on. And while it’s too late to lift the proverbial cap to International Women’s Day (March 8th), lucky for me the US deems the entirety of March ‘Women’s History Month’. And so, as the month came to a close, my thoughts wandered briefly to those women that came before and inspired us.
Every time I’ve asked a successful woman which 3 historical figures she most admires, she will inevitably mention someone like Hilary Clinton, Ruth Ginsburg, or even (let’s all agree the most fabulous) Princess Diana. But there is one more character that is nearly always mentioned, and perhaps with the most emotion. She will add her grandmother or mother to the list, then dive into what made this woman so special.
It's human to strive for great things; to want to impact many people, grow your business into a unicorn, make grand gestures.
But in our efforts to make an impact and stand among The Greats let’s not forget the power of changing just one life. Of encouraging and inspiring your child or grandchild; a colleague, neighbor, or friend. Who might you normally look past as a candidate that you will give extra consideration in the next hiring round? In your next meeting look around the room and ask yourself if there is enough diversity of thought at that table? Who will you invite to the meeting next time? What friend can you help navigate through a career transition? Or coach through a salary negotiation? When was the last time you acknowledged someone else’s work well-done? Never underestimate the ripple effect of these small, individual actions.
At FINOS we recognize there isn’t enough diversity in our Community and in our industry as a whole, and we want to create programs, internships, training, and talks that raise awareness and move the needle. We want men and women from every background to feel like they can contribute to our Open Source projects, be recognized for their achievements, and find the support to grow within their own careers and companies. Last year we created a committee of passionate people to begin tackling these issues. We ran two women’s career workshops, and are now setting up metrics and an exciting events agenda for 2022.
Now we are excited to announce that in Q1 2022 the FINOS Governing Board has approved what started as D&I Board Committee to become a Special Interest Group open to the whole Community. In the spirit of inclusivity, the FINOS DEI SIG proceedings are now fully open, with the goal of growing diversity in our Community.
If you are passionate about this topic we very much encourage you to join the group (it’s open to everyone, NOT limited to just FINOS Members).
If you’re interested in finding out more and would like to participate in the FINOS DEI SIG, here’s three easy things you can do to get involved:
- Join our next monthly call on May 3rd. The agenda will be published soon here
- Drop us an email at diversity-inclusion-committee@finos.org
- Watch the DEI SIG Github repository and submit your suggestions via Github issues
We look forward to meeting you!
