A resolution designating March 24th, 2023, as "National Women of Color in Tech Day".

III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 124 Designating March 24th, 2023, as ‘‘National Women of Color in Tech Day’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 23, 2023 Ms. ROSEN (for herself, Mr. WICKER, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. HEINRICH, and Mr. PADILLA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Designating March 24th, 2023, as ‘‘National Women of Color in Tech Day’’. Whereas National Women of Color in Tech Day acknowledges the challenges many women of color face in the field of technology (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘tech’’) and recognizes and emphasizes the importance of women of color in tech in the United States, including— (1) Katherine Johnson, a former engineer at the Na- tional Aeronautics and Space Administration; (2) Marie Van Brittan Brown, who invented the first home security system; and (3) Patricia Bath, who invented the Laserphaco Probe for the removal of cataracts; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:39 Mar 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR124.IS SR124 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 124 IS Whereas evidence suggests that structural and social barriers in tech education, tech workforce development, the tech workforce, and venture capital investment in tech can disproportionately and negatively affect women of color; Whereas women are underrepresented in tech and women of color often face additional systemic barriers in the tech ecosystem specifically and in science, technology, engi- neering, and mathematics (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘STEM’’) fields generally; Whereas underrepresented minority students often face an opportunity gap in STEM education in the United States; Whereas women and girls of color often face an achievement gap in science and engineering education; Whereas women and girls overall often face a large oppor- tunity gap in computer science; Whereas the competitiveness of the United States in the 21st-century global economy largely depends on devel- oping STEM-literate citizens; Whereas the demand for professionals in tech and computing fields is expected to increase substantially over the next decade; Whereas, as of March 2023, data showed there were more than 750,000 open and unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States; Whereas increasing the number of women of color in tech will be critical to building and maintaining a competitive tech workforce; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:39 Mar 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR124.IS SR124 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 124 IS Whereas women of color currently make up 39 percent of the female population in the United States and are projected to make up the majority of women by 2060; Whereas, according to a 2018 study by the Women of Color in Computing Research Collaborative, women of color in the United States earn less than 10 percent of the bach- elor’s degrees in computing and less than 5 percent of doctorates in computer science; Whereas the low number of women of color in tech positions who have not received a bachelor’s degree, or who earn certificates, demonstrates that women of color may not be taking sufficient advantage of alternative pathways for reskilling in computing-related areas or may not have adequate access or exposure to these pathways; Whereas increasing the inclusion of women of color in the science and tech sectors can provide role models who can inspire students of all backgrounds and identities, includ- ing young girls of color; Whereas diversity in any field incorporates different experi- ences and ideas that can ultimately lead to more creative and pioneering solutions to the current and future prob- lems of the United States; Whereas, a May 2020, study by McKinsey and Company shows that companies with a diverse workforce often per- form better, hire more qualified employees, have more en- gaged employees, and are better at retaining workers than companies that do not prioritize diversity; Whereas communities of color are underrepresented in cor- porate leadership roles, including in the tech sector; and Whereas a pipeline of qualified tech candidates of color is critical for future growth, particularly as the tech indus- VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Mar 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR124.IS SR124 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 124 IS try works to improve the recruiting, hiring, and retaining of candidates and employees of color: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates March 24, 2023, as ‘‘National 2 Women of Color in Tech Day’’; 3 (2) recognizes the celebration of National 4 Women of Color in Tech Day as a time to reflect on 5 the many notable contributions that women of color 6 have made to the field of technology in the United 7 States; 8 (3) urges the people of the United States to ob- 9 serve National Women of Color in Tech Day with 10 appropriate programs and activities; 11 (4) pledges to work to increase diversity and in- 12 clusion in the technology sector, including through 13 robust plans to ensure recruitment, training, and re- 14 tention of underrepresented minorities at all levels; 15 (5) commits to working to eliminate barriers to 16 entering the technology sector faced by women of 17 color and individuals from other underrepresented 18 groups; 19 (6) reaffirms the commitment of the Senate to 20 ensuring that all students have access to science, 21 technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred 22 to in this resolution as ‘‘STEM’’) education for a 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:39 Mar 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR124.IS SR124 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 124 IS 21st-century economy, including computer science 1 education in particular; 2 (7) supports efforts to strengthen investments 3 in, and collaborations with, educational institutions, 4 including community colleges, historically Black col- 5 leges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, 6 Asian-American, Native-American, and Pacific Is- 7 lander-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges and Uni- 8 versities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serv- 9 ing institutions, and other minority-serving institu- 10 tions, to sustain a pipeline of diverse STEM grad- 11 uates ready to enter the technology sector; and 12 (8) urges the President to work with Congress 13 to improve data collection, data disaggregation, and 14 dissemination of information for greater under- 15 standing and transparency of diversity in STEM 16 education and across the workforce of the United 17 States. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:42 Mar 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR124.IS SR124 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS