Ubuntu Increasing Its Diversity

However, it's more than just a statement. Jono Bacon, the Ubuntu Community manager has reached out to the Ubuntu Women Project (UW) for ideas on ways to promote diversity at the Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS). Bacon in his weekly Community Q&A session this week even discusses various ways to combat the bad behavior that often keeps women from joining projects as well as ideas for ways the community can participate in helping to achieve a more diverse and welcoming community. Today, Bacon held the first of several upcoming meetings with UW team on the topic of "Increasing Diversity" at UDS.

In a blog post, Bacon highlights some key points that show the dedication of Canonical and the Ubuntu Project about combating the issue of so few women participating in Open Source events and communities. Those highlights include: adoption of an anti-harassment policy, a page on the Ubuntu Women site for UDS, UDS stories page, as well as the UW teams discussing how to provide support for this diversity effort.

Linux Pro Magazine wanted to touch base with the Ubuntu Women Leadership to get their thoughts on this on-going effort. Elizabeth Krumbach took a moment to discuss these efforts with us.

LPM: Can you briefly introduce yourself and your role in the Ubuntu Women Project and Ubuntu Community?

EK: My name is Elizabeth Krumbach, I’m currently one of the three leaders of the Ubuntu Women project and am an elected member of the Ubuntu Community Council.

LPM: What are your thoughts on this statement?

EK: I’m very happy with it. Study after study has show that collaboration in a diverse environment is beneficial to projects so it’s great to see that there are members of our community who are truly interested in increasing diversity in Ubuntu.

LPM: How is the Ubuntu Women Project participating in this drive?

EK: The Ubuntu Women Project wasn’t involved in the development of the statement, this was lead by Matt Zimmerman who contacted several experts on diversity in the open source world. However, when the first draft and request for comment came out I made sure to pass along the link to the team so we could put our input in. At the end of the day I think our lack of involvement is actually a good thing, diversity is something that benefits the whole project and I don’t believe encouraging it shouldn’t fall solely on the shoulders of the minorities themselves.

LPM: Do you believe this statement is necessary?

EK: Yes, because I believe these kinds of statements help. It can be very intimidating to start collaborating with such a large project, especially as a minority in the field. Having these kinds of statements can make potential contributors feel more at ease with their status as a minority and secure in the fact that their contributions won’t be overlooked because of it.

LPM: When did you first get started in Ubuntu? Since that time how has diversity within the project changed in your opinion? What if anything do you feel still needs to occur?

EK: I created my ubuntuforums.org account in March of 2005, when I installed Ubuntu for the first time on my old laptop. I really didn’t have a feel for the community for the first couple of years, but when the Pennsylvania LoCo really got going in 2007 I saw a similar demographic of contributors as I did at the Philadelphia Linux Users Group, very little diversity across the board. Over the past few years as I’ve gotten more involved and seen the project grow and evolve there certainly has been an increase in diversity and I think there are many reasons for it. The first is simply how much better Ubuntu as an operating system has become, you no longer have to have a background in technology to use it and that opens the doors to a lot of folks who are disadvantaged technology-wise (which disproportionately affects minorities). The work of translation teams and LoCos has also been vital, we’re getting Ubuntu into the hands of more people and offering them local faces to help support them in their journey, which helps a lot.

LPM: What besides this diversity statement do you feel is needed to make it a friendlier and more welcoming community to all?

EK: I’ve been really impressed with the work the Ubuntu Beginners Team has been doing with their mentoring program. Their mentoring program really puts a face on contributing and walks new contributors through finding their place within the project. I would really encourage other Ubuntu Members to check out the team if you’re looking for a new way to contribute, they could really use more experienced volunteers. I already mentioned the LoCo teams, but they’ve certainly be valuable for me meeting new people in my area who are curious about Ubuntu, or who are already involved in their own communities and wish to reach out to the wider project.

Linux Pro Magazine will be following up with other members of the Ubuntu Women Project and its Leadership team following to see how these efforts to evolve to increase diversity at UDS and across the Ubuntu community.

This article highlights what one community is doing to increase its diversity. How does your community or project combat the diversity issue? Does it have a diversity statement? How has having a diversity statement made a difference?