What to expect at TC Sessions: Justice, our diversity and inclusion in tech event

TechCrunch Sessions: Justice is going down on June 6 at the Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco and we have a jam-packed agenda featuring some of the best and brightest people working on diversity, inclusion and equity in tech, criminal justice reform and social justice.

Facebook Global Director of Diversity Maxine Williams will shed some light on the company’s diversity playbook and DeRay Mckesson of We the Protestors will discuss social justice activism and the digital tools needed to resist anything from police brutality to President Donald Trump. We’ll also spend time discussing the pathways to justice and equity for low-wage workers in the tech sphere with Derecka Mehrens of Silicon Valley Rising.

Throughout the day, you can expect to hear and partake in discussions about why the tech industry struggles so much with diversity, tech’s role in civic engagement, how to break into tech as a returning citizen from the armed services or prison, the importance of encryption in underrepresented communities, how to increase funding for black and Latinx founders and the necessity of data in criminal justice reform.

Unlike TechCrunch Disrupt, TC Sessions: Justice will provide attendees with opportunities to engage with those onstage and attend workshops to learn about topics like fostering inclusion in the workplace.

We’ve just released our first round of invitations to TC Sessions: Justice and are well on our way to selling out of this limited-capacity event. If you’d like to attend, you can request an invitation here and we’ll be sure to let you know when tickets become available.

Without further ado, here’s the agenda.

Tuesday, June 6

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Doors open // networking 

9:30 AM – 9:40 AM
Welcome to TC Sessions: Justice with Megan Rose Dickey

9:40 AM – 10:00 AM
Rallying the Tech Industry for Good with Erica Baker (SlackCatherine Bracy (TechEquity Collaborative)

10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Funding Underrepresented Entrepreneurs with Laura Gomez (Atipica), Michael Seibel (Y Combinator) and Monique Woodard (500 Startups)

10:20 AM – 10:40 AM
Why the Black Community Needs Encryption with Matt Mitchell (CryptoHarlem)

10:40 AM – 10:50 AM
BREAK

10:50 AM – 11:10 AM
Why Silicon Valley Struggles with Diversity with Nicole Sanchez (GitHub), Wayne Sutton (Change Catalyst) and Rachel Williams (Yelp)

11:10 AM – 11:30 AM
Facebook’s Diversity Playbook with Maxine Williams (Facebook)

11:30 AM – 11:55 AM
Breaking into Tech as a Returning Citizen with Donald Coolidge (Elemental Path), Kenyatta Leal (The Last Mile/RocketSpace)Chris Redlitz (The Last Mile) and Katherine Webster (VetsinTech)

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
LUNCH

1:00 PM – 1:20 PM
Justice for Low-Wage Tech Workers with Y-Vonne Hutchinson (ReadySet) and Derecka Mehrens (Silicon Valley Rising)

1:20 PM – 1:40 PM
Racial and Economic Justice in the Digital Age with Malkia Cyril (Center for Media Justice)

1:40 PM – 2:00 PM
Why Code Matters for Underrepresented Youth with Michael Essien (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle School), Karla Monterroso (Code 2040) Stevon Cook (MissionBit) and Brandon Nicholson (The Hidden Genius Project)

2:00 PM – 2:25 PM
Digitizing the Resistance with DeRay Mckesson (Campaign Zero)

2:25 PM – 2:45 PM
Prioritizing Equality with Tony Prophet (Salesforce)

2:45 PM – 3:05 PM
BREAK

3:05 PM – 3:25 PM
Why the Criminal Justice System Needs Data with Amy Bach (Measures For Justice), Justin Steele (Google.org) and Ana Zamora (American Civil Liberties Union

3:25 PM – 3:45 PM
Making Tech Accessible with Matt King (Facebook) and KR Liu (Doppler Labs)

3:45 PM – 4:05 PM
Fixing Uber’s Culture Problem with Bernard Coleman (Uber)

4:05 PM – 4:25 PM
Mobilizing White People in the Fight for Racial Justice with Leslie Mac (Safety Pin Box)

4:25 PM – 4:45 PM 
Reforming a Flawed Criminal Justice System with Shaka Senghor (Dream Corps)

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
TC Sessions: Justice Closing Reception // Location Coming Soon!

If you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact our sponsorship team here