Tech Confidential Ep.6: Building Multicultural Institutions

The Tech We Want is on a mission to create a transformative tech ecosystem by uniting, empowering and amplifying marginalized leaders, advocates, and entrepreneurs in the tech industry. Our mission is to collectively foster a future where everyone can thrive by collaboratively experimenting with and funding innovative cultural and economic infrastructures.

Tech Confidential is a panel series that brings together tech founders, investors, operators and organizers to discuss the work of building visionary alternatives that center human thriving and responsible innovation. Drawing on three years of work of building The Tech We Want, the series examines the emergent questions and challenges of building a new economy.

*Episode 6: Building Multicultural Institutions: Insights from Inclusive Leadership and Community Organizing
Jocelyn Macdougall hosts a panel discussion with Aniyia Williams, Xiaowei Wang, Karina Cabrera Bell, and Deldelp Medina on multicultural institution building.

The panel explores key aspects such as inclusion, resilience, power dynamics, and leadership accountability within organizations. They share personal experiences, organizational insights, and tactical strategies for fostering inclusive cultures, addressing DEI fatigue, and ensuring shared responsibility.

The conversation also touches on the challenges of navigating existing systems versus building new ones and emphasizes the importance of embedding equitable practices at the core of institutional frameworks.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Panelist Introductions
00:46 Defining Multicultural Institution Building
01:07 Personal Experiences with Multiculturalism
04:08 Challenges and Tensions in Multicultural Workplaces
06:50 Revisiting the Concept of Multiculturalism
11:20 Building Inclusive Institutions
16:57 Leadership and Institutional Change
20:18 Worker Organizing and Solidarity
22:18 Navigating Institutional Failures and Building New Models
36:02 Consumer Influence and Brand Inclusivity
37:53 On Commitment to Lifelong Learning
39:17 The Necessity of Multicultural Institutions
40:03 Challenges in DEI Advocacy
43:46 Resilience in DEI Work
52:10 Accountability and Shared Responsibility