Outreach

This comment by th explains how DEI is essentially an outreach program. This is on the news of Python Software Foundations’ decision to withdraw from $1.5 million proposal for US government grant program.

It seems like a number of the “DEI is anti-merit discrimination” messages in this thread are overlooking how DEI work usually works.

A relevant tweet from 2016 (https://x.com/jessicamckellar/status/737299461563502595):

> Hello from your @PyCon Diversity Chair. % PyCon talks by women: (2011: 1%), (2012: 7%), (2013: 15%), (2014/15: 33%), (2016: 40%). #pycon2016

Increased diversity in communities usually comes from active outreach work. PyCon’s talk selection process starts blinded.

If 300 people submit talks and 294 are men, then 98% of talks will likely be from men.

If 500 people submit talks and 394 are men, then ~79% will likely be by men.

Outreach to encourage folks to apply/join/run/etc. can make a big difference in the makeup of applicants and the makeup of the end results. Bucking the trend even during just one year can start a snowball effect that moves the needle further in future years.

The world doesn’t run on merit. Who you know, whether you’ve been invited in to the club, and whether you feel you belong all affect where you end up. So unusually homogenous communities (which feel hard for outsiders to break into) can arise even without deliberate discrimination.

Organizations like the PSF could choose to say “let’s avoid outreach work and simply accept the status quo forever”, but I would much rather see the Python community become more diverse and welcoming over time.