Open Source Summit North America 2025

Many organizations, companies, and departments are now eliminating DEI programs, and with this development, you may be asking what happens next. Even though DEI programs may be disappearing, the conversation around what it entails will still exist. How do we frame the conversation now, and what can we do to advocate on behalf of underrepresented groups? I will walk through some ways in which we can move forward. As someone who had to work with a global audience, I found that the term DEI did not always resonate with everyone. From that experience, I had to find ways to discuss the issues that DEI was meant to address, such as disparity in experiences, perceptions around fairness, the need for better communication processes, and psychological safety on teams. We can use these lessons with a global audience that had different histories and cultural contexts to ensure that conversation is relevant for everyone.