Open Source for Everyone

Open source runs the digital world. As a top 10 contributor to Drupal—the software used by 1 out of 30 sites in the world—Mediacurrent feels a deep sense of responsibility to be the change we wish to see. 

From “IDEA” to Reality 

Building a culture that values open dialogue and accountability around issues of diversity and inclusion has always been our goal. This year, we took steps to define our core values and unite our voices for change by launching an employee-led diversity council. Our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Awareness (IDEA) team drives an important mission. The group strives to lift up marginalized voices in tech and address difficult, ongoing challenges including societal racism, racial bias, transphobia, and homophobia. 

logo for Mediacurrent Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Awareness team​

Opening Up About Privilege 

The IDEA committee brings many voices together. As Mediacurrent’s Director of Project Management, I’m proud to be one of those voices.

We often hear that the benefit of open source communities is that anyone can contribute. Yet, this paints a rosy picture of equality that’s far from the current reality in our Drupal community. (Drupal creator Dries Buytaert presents the issue well in this article: The Privilege of Free Time in Open Source.) My personal mission is to lead a dialogue on understanding how individual privilege can open doors for an open source community that's as wonderfully diverse as Drupal’s end users. 

What can those with privilege do to effect change? I grappled with this question in a DrupalCon Seattle session Putting Our Privilege to Work for Inclusivity in Open Source, below. It represents the types of conversations happening within our IDEA committee:

  • What does privilege look like?
  • Mindfulness and recognizing our own privilege
  • How to address privilege in others...gently
  • How to bring about real change

The Path Forward

The IDEA team is hard at work on a few upcoming initiatives, including:

  • Sharing new data about our employee diversity 
  • Making socially conscious choices together about the charities we support 
  • Updating job postings to include our values
  • Technical documentation audit for inclusive language

We look forward to introducing more members of the Mediacurrent IDEA team and sharing some of the many in-progress initiatives on our path forward.

https://www.mediacurrent.com/blog/idea-team-open-source-inclusion-diversity