I’m on my way to the Microsoft MVP Summit, and there is something that has been bothering me for a while. So while I'm on my plane, somewhere over Greenland, I'm starting to get it out in writing.
What is the problem?
There is something going on that I don’t want to look away from. Some of my MVP friends are not making their way to the Summit and I think that’s a problem. In part because I will miss them, but there is a deeper, more significant issue.
The reasons being raised, are the following:
- The current political stance of the US, which mainly discourages people of color, trans people and people with non-western heritage from travelling to the US.
- The healthcare evolutions, where certain forms of care are not available. This mostly affects transgendered individuals, non-binary people and women.
- The fact that everyone has to pay their own way to make it to Redmond affects, which anyone who lives further away, is in a lower income region or doesn’t have an employer who sponsors them.
The real problem is that because of this, certain groups and voices will be less present this MVP Summit. It’s a diversity & inclusivity problem. Because do you know who’s not affected? Well-funded white men, a privileged group I am a part of.
And that's exactly why this situation is making my skin crawl. Whenever a situation affects certain people but not me, it means I have a certain privilege that others don't have.
Let me tell you about some of these friends…
Emma
Emma is a fantastic speaker and a community organizer. Emma has opted not to go because as a woman of colour, she feels like she runs the risk of being detained by ICE. She believes it’s not worth travelling to the US for leisure, learning or self development, knowing that it could end with detention or worse. She says she’d travel if she needed to - if work depended on it - but this event is ‘just’ for herself, so she can’t take that risk.
Dylan
Dylan is one of the best keynote speakers I know. Dylan’s entire life and job evolves around sharing knowledge and educating. He uses his endless creativity to write amazing talks, workshops and even music. Unfortunately, giving talks and workshops is not the most lucrative business, and Dylan is self-funded. Flights and hotels are expensive, which is why Dylan isn’t attending the Summit. If he could get there on a cheap EU flight, I’m sure he’d consider otherwise.
Anjuli
Anjuli is a brilliant software developer and an amazing speaker. Although she was born in a Western European country, and has lived there her whole life, Anjuli has a name and a skin tone that doesn’t look or sound European or American. With the current US border situation, she has opted to skip the Summit this year. She simply does not feel safe to travel to the US at this time.
Luise
Luise can best be described as a badass stage princess. If you ever met Luise, she would have surely left an impression. Luise doesn’t feel comfortable traveling to the US because she doesn’t want to ignore issues like the rollback of women’s rights, systemic inequality, and the normalization of state control over bodies just to attend a professional event (that also would entail a lot of fun and which missing it causes huge FOMO).
Microsoft & the MVP Summit
Let me start by telling you that I love the MVP program and the people in it. If you organize a recognition program for people who go above and beyond to share their knowledge with the community, it’s bound to be full of amazing humans. The drive to help other people grow has always been within me, and within the MVP program, I’ve met many amazing people who are just the same.
Because I love this community, I always look forward to the yearly MVP Summit. It’s where I can interact with Microsoft, see old friends and make new ones. There are a few dear people in my life whom I originally met at the Summit.
I have to be honest, Microsoft is a company that has shown over the years that it cares a lot about inclusivity. The mix of people inside the MVP program is absolutely wonderful, and Microsoft does offer a stipend that people can request to make their way to the Summit at least once.
I know that there is a charm and a practicality to having the event on the Microsoft Campus, and that it saves a big chunk of budget versus renting another venue with catering. Also having all of the product group engineers on site is easier at the Campus than anywhere else.
I get it, I really do. Big corporations have budgets for events, and these budgets tend to reduce over time. It's easy to cut into them to make room for other initiatives.
What can we do?
But I can’t help but wonder if there isn't more that Microsoft, or we as a community, could do to make this more inclusive?
At first glance, I see a couple of possible actions that could improve on the current situation:
- Reimburse people's travel again. It makes attending the Summit inclusive, regardless of location and economic situation.
- Rotate the Summit across multiple continents. Why not have the Summit on another continent, alternating with classic Redmond Summits?
- Organize local Summit hubs that are easier to travel to, so that people can still meet up in person without travelling to Redmond.
- Offer help and guidance for everyone who is worried about travelling. This will help people make a more informed decision about travelling to the US.
I would love for Microsoft to at least open the dialogue with the community to see where we can improve things. I'm sure we all want the same outcome. We want Emma & Dylan & Anjuli & Luise, and all of the voices and communities they represent, to have a voice in the MVP community and at the next Summit.
Remember, It's the job of the privileged to speak up about injustice. And it's not because you create privilege for others, that you reduce your own.
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