Merge Forward: Elevating Equity in Cloud Native

In the rapidly evolving cloud native ecosystem, technology is only part of the equation. Who builds, leads, and contributes matters too. Recognizing this, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) launched Merge Forward : a community-led initiative to reduce barriers for underrepresented groups and accelerate inclusion across open source and cloud native.

What Is Merge Forward?

Merge Forward is a Technical Community Group within the CNCF community (outside the core governance / TOC structure) whose mission is to transform equity into action. Its goals include:

1. Identifying and removing barriers that inhibit participation.
2. Advocating for accessibility across communication, tooling, processes.
3. Amplifying diverse voices through visibility, speaking opportunities, and recognition.
4. Cultivating the next generation by targeting youth and early-career professionals.

Merge Forward hosts regular monthly meetings, open to anyone interested (both from underrepresented groups and allies).

Working Groups & Initiatives Under Merge Forward

Merge Forward is organized into several domain-specific subgroups or initiatives. Each focuses on unique challenges and communities. Some of the active ones:

• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Working Group
• Blind and Visually Impaired Initiative
• Stuttering & Speech Diversity Initiative
• Women in Cloud Native
• Deep Roots Initiative
• Friends of Dorothee Initiative
• Neurodiversity Initiative : This group aims to empower neurodivergent contributors in open source, helping them be more visible and active in the cloud native ecosystem.

Each group shares the same overarching mission but tailors execution to its domain. For example, the Neurodiversity Initiative emphasizes creating pathways into contribution and community support networks.

Another concrete effort: the Merge Forward Mentorship Program , which is in development, intends to match mentees with experienced mentors to grow skills, visibility, and community engagement.

If a community is not yet represented, Merge Forward invites volunteers to start a new working group under its umbrella.

Why Focus on Underrepresented Groups?

• Diversity fuels innovation : Technical solutions benefit from different perspectives and lived experiences. Inclusive communities tend to surface more creative, user-friendly ideas.
• Equity and fairness : Historically marginalized groups (due to race, gender, ability, neurodiversity, socioeconomic background, etc.) have had fewer opportunities to engage in tech. Proactively creating welcoming spaces helps correct this imbalance.
• Better community health and sustainability : Open source communities that remain homogeneous risk stagnation or toxicity. A broader base of contributors helps longevity, resilience, and shared stewardship.
• Representation matters : When people see contributors or leaders “like them,” they are more likely to imagine themselves in that space. This amplifies a virtuous cycle of participation.
• Industry impact : Cloud native is shaping the infrastructure of our digital future. If certain voices are systematically excluded, the resulting projects and standards may neglect or hurt underrepresented users.

CNCF already supports diversity in multiple ways. In its 2024 annual report, for example, the foundation awarded more than 529 speakers and scholarships to individuals from traditionally underrepresented or marginalized groups.

How Merge Forward Operates

• Open monthly syncs : Each first Tuesday of the month (10 am PT / 1 pm ET / 7 pm CET) groups convene to share status, surface blockers, and align cross-group efforts.
• CNCF Slack presence : #merge-forward is the central Slack channel where ideas, requests, and coordination happen.
• Shared documentation & best practices : Merge Forward publishes resources like role definitions, collaboration guidelines, and marketing kits to ensure alignment and clarity.
• Working group autonomy : Each subgroup is empowered to define deliverables (e.g. workshops, content, mentorship, tooling), but remains aligned with Merge Forward’s mission.
• Volunteer-driven membership and growth : Anyone can join, propose new working groups, or contribute to existing ones.

Call to Action & Final Thoughts

As a woman and neurodivergent individual, I’m truly encouraged to see CNCF giving a platform to underrepresented groups through the Merge Forward initiative. It’s a space where people like me can connect, exchange ideas, and engage in meaningful mentorship fostering growth, collaboration, and community support.

Merge Forward offers a structured, intentional way to help build a more inclusive cloud native ecosystem. But it needs active participation, as contributors, mentors, allies, and champions.

Merge Forward doesn’t stop at representation, it also prioritizes accessibility , ensuring that everyone can participate fully in CNCF and cloud native communities. Accessibility here means more than compliance; it’s about practical inclusion:

• Accessible communication : live captioning, sign language interpretation, and clear documentation to support contributors who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or have diverse language needs.
• Inclusive event design : making sure CNCF conferences and meetups provide accessible spaces, materials, and technologies.
• Tooling and process improvements : working with CNCF projects to surface issues around color contrast, screen reader compatibility, or accessible contribution workflows.
• Community-driven advocacy : initiatives like the Deaf & Hard of Hearing WG and Blind & Visually Impaired WG directly highlight barriers and help CNCF remove them.

In other words, accessibility and equity are inseparable. By embedding accessibility into its working groups and culture, Merge Forward helps create a space where contributors don’t have to adapt themselves to the community, the community adapts to include them.

At the moment, we are initiating our first monthly meetups , please join us and expand the awareness for Merge-Forward!

How to join

• CNCF Slack channel : #merge-forward
• Keep up to date : “Join” this group above to receive updates
• Catch up on past events : Check out our YouTube Playlist