Making Black Lives Matter in the Information Technology Profession

Abstract

Despite lucrative career opportunities in information technology (IT), representation of Blacks in IT occupations is abysmal. IT careers are a viable source of economic advancement for Blacks who as a group face significant entry and advancement barriers in the labor market. We argue that the information systems (IS) community can make Black lives matter in IT by advancing their opportunities in this occupational space in an equitable manner. Such advancements require a dialogue within the IS community about the following: What can the IS community do to foster greater inclusion of Blacks in IT profession? To begin this dialogue, a panel of five IS scholars, Drs. K. D. Joshi, Eileen Trauth, Lynette Kvasny, Allison J. Morgan, and Fay Cobb Payton, who participated in the panel organized at SIGMIS CPR 2016 in Washington, D.C. (Trauth et al. 2016b), share their perspectives on making Black lives matter in the information technology profession. An agenda is proposed that calls on IS scholars to conduct research on issues discussed in this paper and appeals to IT practitioners and educators to foster greater inclusion of Blacks in the IT profession.