The focus of today's discussion is the important conversation and project of diversity and inclusion in the open-source space. Joining us to share her expertise and experience on the topic is Amy Marrich from the CHAOSS Project and someone who has dedicated much time and energy to creating more accessible and comfortable spaces for a wider range of people. In our chat, we get to hear how Amy became curious and got involved in this side of open-source work before she unpacks some of the layers of why these goals are so important. Listeners will get a basic understanding from our guest, as she provides some very helpful definitions and reflections, that are great departure points, no matter your knowledge level. Our guest also weighs in on how she measures the success of the work she does in inclusion and diversity, and to round things out, shares an inspiring anecdote that illustrates the importance of this work!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A basic definition of diversity and inclusion and how these concepts have evolved. 
• Why the ideas and practices of diversity and inclusion are important in the open source world. 
• How larger social issues tie into the tech and software professions. 
• The coming to light of the relevant issues, and Amy's experiences and discoveries.
• Best practices and current initiatives that are helping the diversity and inclusion cause.   
• Determining priorities and the most critical issues to address at any time. 
• The surveys that Amy and her team use to measure the success of initiatives. 
• Amy's thoughts on the current state of things and how far we still have to go. 
• Addressing individual concerns of exclusion and the importance of speaking up  
• A success story from Amy's work that shows the impact of people feeling welcome and safe. 
• Why Amy prioritizes comfort and belonging and uses this as the main measure of success.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Amy Marrich on Twitter

CHAOSS

COTA 

OpenDev

Zuul

Starling X

Airship

The CentOS Project

Alan Clark

SUSE & Rancher Community

TODO Group https://todogroup.org/