Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dear Scrum Allies,

Like many of you, we've read, watched, and listened in abject horror the news of the inhumane murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and many more. We've grieved, our emotions ranging from anger to depression and back again, knowing that their names join a long list of others cried out by loved ones throughout the deep-rooted history of racism in the United States and around the world.

We understand that words matter. Before posting a statement in support of our Black community members, it felt important that we didn't issue an empty or performative message, but rather did the hard work of examining ourselves first, recognizing our privilege and shortcomings, and then showing up as allies with genuine commitment to do better and to hold ourselves accountable. For us, this isn't just about speaking out, but about truly showing up.

But the truth is, focusing on, or centering, Scrum Alliance as we discuss this tragedy does a disservice to those who are being most impacted: our Black community members. To our Black community members: we see you, we hear you, we love you, and we are committed to fighting alongside you.

Last week, we held an organization-wide moment of silence in memoriam of those who have lost their lives to senseless violence and systemic racism. Following the memorial, team members from every team, skillset, and background came together to answer one question: How do we, as an organization, show up to support our Black community members right now?

We recognize that this is only one step in the journey and that while long-term action is necessary, we are making the following immediate commitments to our community:

We will use our platform to amplify and support the voices of our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community members.
We will hold ourselves accountable for increasing diversity in our organization, leadership, and our community by creating tools to eliminate implicit and explicit bias. In addition, we will ensure that no internal role is filled until a diverse candidate pool has been interviewed.
We will prioritize understanding and examining the structural and systemic barriers that Black, Indigenous and People of Color may face in gaining access to our community and certifications and working with our communities to eliminate these barriers.
We will review our community-based funding priorities and prioritize investing in funding that supports Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our community.
We will prioritize diversity and inclusion in the formal structures that currently exist to hear from our communities, including actively seeking participation from our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community members. Internally, we will host a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion co-op meeting, geared towards supporting both our internal and external communities, every single sprint.
We reaffirm our commitment to fighting racism and discrimination within our company and in our communities, ensuring that not only is there a seat at the table for every member of our community but that they are welcome and their plates full.
We will hold ourselves accountable for following through on our commitments and providing transparency for our community members in the process.

We know that the work doesn't stop here. Ally is a verb. We will continue to iterate, to listen to our community members, and to use our voice and our platform to work towards a more loving and just world. Please feel free to reach out to us.

Sincerely,

The Scrum Alliance Team

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