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Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

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Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#91

Post by kenjackson »

dmix wrote: post #33
throwa34567 wrote: post #6

I'm very happy to see this. I grew up in a town that, before I was born, decided to actively integrate (from being an historically all white, wealthy suburb) and I'm certain I'm better off for growing up in a diverse community. I'm in mountain view now and it's all "silicon valley white", and something actively needs to be done. I worry when I realize my kid can go a week or more without seeing a black person, and I'…

> I'm certain I'm better off for growing up in a diverse community. I'm curious how much the internet has helped bridge this gap today and whether this idea of diversity through government-backed forced integration policies are really relevant/useful anymore. It seems very difficult to grow up in a culturally homogeneous environment today, you'd basically have to be a Luddite to accomplish that. That plus living in a…

I'm curious how much the internet has helped bridge this gap today

Based on internet comments, I'd say it has made things worse.

I've read that statistically today's schools in the US are even more segregated than even before the civil rights act.

Do you have a pointer to that data? I find it hard to believe, but I guess it is possible given that communities tend to be highly segregated still.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#92

Post by nybbler »

startupdiscuss wrote: post #58
protomyth wrote: post #45

It would be cool if some tech company did this with a school like http://www.haskell.edu/

Let me guess: it is a purely functional university?

Yes, instead of the students learning anything, when you send a student to the university you're returned a new student which is almost the same only with more knowledge.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#94

Post by kenjackson »

FT_intern wrote: post #65

I think we are in need of an open discussion on redefining "diversity". Race is not a good metric for diversity. Nationality completely trumps it. People of the same nationality with the same primary language have much more in common with each other. You can actually see this dynamic play out at work where people hang out with others from the same nationality. Americans hang out with Americans, Mandarin Chinese hang…

This doesn't make any sense. It ignores so much, including obvious things like gender (white women from the US are still disadvantaged in our field, despite having the same language, ethnicity, and nationality of the most privileged class).

It seems like you wrote a reactionary comment, rather than a well thought through one.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#95

Post by reader5000 »

sAuronas wrote: post #71
xienze wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, let's say you were born in China. Would you have a similar level of anxiety about never seeing anyone outside of your ethnic group? I find it very odd how white people are seemingly the only ethnic group so hung up on seeing people of different races one day-to-day basis. On a related note, if being around so many white people bothers you so much, why aren't you living in, say, East Palo Alto or Richmond?

Edit: You can't just replace White with Chinese: unless Chinese people enslaved and murdered a race of people for hundreds of years, then segregated them in tiny ghettos while charging higher rents than other 'Chinese' had to pay, to finally - allow - them to leave the ghetto only to "redline" ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining ) any community that crossed the color line, outlaw discrimination - after - pove…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_China

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_Asia

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#96

Post by nonce42 »

jedberg wrote: post #11
throwa34567 wrote: post #6

I'm very happy to see this. I grew up in a town that, before I was born, decided to actively integrate (from being an historically all white, wealthy suburb) and I'm certain I'm better off for growing up in a diverse community. I'm in mountain view now and it's all "silicon valley white", and something actively needs to be done. I worry when I realize my kid can go a week or more without seeing a black person, and I'…

> silicon valley white Interesting term. Does that basically mean Asian (both eastern and southeastern) and White?

My prediction is in 20 years Asian will be considered part of white. Maybe it's just being in the Silicon Valley bubble, but it already feels much of the way there.

(Not trying to offend anyone, but feel safer with throwaway account.)

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#97

Post by thelock85 »

monkmartinez wrote: post #27
djtriptych wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buuuut this isn't China. It's America. Ethnic diversity is part of the DNA here.

Where are the "all" hispanic outreach programs in tech?

I think the appropriate dig is "where are the Hispanics in tech" and "where are the Hispanics in tech building explicit bridges to their communities." HBCUs are the result of affluent blacks fighting for land grants at the turn of the 20th century since many states refused to grant land for the formation of integrated colleges and universities. This program, love it or hate it, is 100+ years in the making.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#98

Post by djtriptych »

dikdik wrote: post #63
djtriptych wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buuuut this isn't China. It's America. Ethnic diversity is part of the DNA here.

Only in some areas. I grew up in one of those flyover states, according to wikipedia the demographics of my town were 97% white while I was a teenager (~94% white now). I much prefer being in more diverse areas, but I don't think where I grew up was somehow bad or wrong. It is a very middle class place, so it's not like the minorities were being pushed out, there just weren't many non-white people that wanted/want to…

The history of housing discrimination in the US would challenge the notion that a middle class suburb would not push out minorities. This practice was rampant in the period after WW2 and continued into the 70s and 80s. It has little to do with notional affordability.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#99

Post by temp246810 »

FT_intern wrote: post #74
throwa34567 wrote: post #6

I'm very happy to see this. I grew up in a town that, before I was born, decided to actively integrate (from being an historically all white, wealthy suburb) and I'm certain I'm better off for growing up in a diverse community. I'm in mountain view now and it's all "silicon valley white", and something actively needs to be done. I worry when I realize my kid can go a week or more without seeing a black person, and I'…

> it's all "silicon valley white" You don't consider the thousands of immigrants who grew up in completely different cultures with different primary languages in Asia and Europe as diversity? Instead, you consider the American born Black person whose primary language is English and who grew up with American culture as "diversity"?

This is precisely a point that irks me as well.

It's fine if you want to lament the lack of black people in any given domain, but to generalize and say there is no diversity at all because a lack of black people is short changing not only the efforts of many people, but many people as well.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#100

Post by hindsightbias »

throwaway91111 wrote: post #32
oh_sigh wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm certain I'm better off for growing up in a diverse community How do you know this?

"Better off" seems subjective, especially when looking at the particulars. I didn't grow up in a diverse community, and living in one now I certainly feel the lack. How do you quantify a cultural divide? How do you quantify what it means to you? Given your comment, I can guess, but that would be rude.

I'm sure there are awesome monocultures and ideologies one can wrap themselves in permanently, but every one I've been in for an extended period looks like a prison in hindsight.
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