Inclusive Tech Buffalo is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, age, disability (physical or mental), sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, marital status, and political affiliation as well as gender expression, mental illness, socioeconomic status or background, neuro(a)typicality, or physical appearance. We're united by Inclusive Tech Buffalo's values, and we celebrate our unique differences.
We put forth this code of conduct not because we anticipate bad behavior, but because we believe in the already exceptional level of respect among the team. We believe that articulating our values and accountabilities to one another reinforces that respect and provides us with clear avenues to correct our culture should it ever stray. We commit to enforce and evolve this code as our team grows.
This code of conduct applies to leadership, organizer, and member interactions in various areas of our shared professional lives, including all events hosted by Inclusive Tech Buffalo, shared online spaces (Slack, Twitter, Facebook, Meetup, et al), pull request feedback on any shared projects, as well as conferences or other events where we are representing Inclusive Tech Buffalo.
Every member of Inclusive Tech Buffalo is expected to be considerate of their peers, and contribute to a collaborative, positive, and healthy environment in which we can all succeed. Specifically:
- Be supportive both proactively and responsively. Offer to help if you see someone struggling or otherwise in need of assistance (taking care not to be patronizing or disrespectful).
- Be inclusive Go out of your way and across cultures to include people in jokes or memes; we want to build an environment free of cliques. Avoid slang or idioms that might not translate across cultures, or be deliberate in explaining them to share our diverse cultures and languages. Speak plainly and avoid acronyms and jargon that not everyone may have an understanding of.
- Be collaborative. Outside of cate memes, please feel free to use Slack, Meetups, etc. as opportunities to network, brainstorm, and the like. Recognize that in addition to asking for feedback, you are similarly asked to give it.
- Be generous in both giving and accepting feedback. Feedback is a natural and important part of engineering. Good feedback (<- Buffer link) is kind, respectful, clear, and constructive, and focused on goals and values rather than personal preferences.
- Be kind. Be polite and friendly in all forms of communication – especially remote communication, where opportunities for misunderstanding are greater. Avoid sarcasm. Tone is hard to decipher online; make liberal use of emoji, GIFs and Bitmoji to aid in communication.
Inclusive Tech Buffalo is committed to providing a welcoming and safe environment for all. Discrimination and harassment are expressly prohibited. Furthermore, any behavior or language that is unwelcoming—whether or not it rises to the level of harassment—is also strongly discouraged.
Additionally, there are a host of behaviors and language common on tech teams which are worth noting as specifically unwelcome:
- No surprise if someone doesn't know something: At Inclusive Tech Buffalo, we believe in the value of a beginner's mind. It's always acceptable to say "I don't know" or "I don't understand." All questions are great questions! So please don't act surprised when people aren't familiar with a tool, person, place or process. This applies to both technical things ("What?! I can't believe you don't know what the stack is!") and non-technical things ("You don't know who DHH is?!"). This is true both online and in person at events, classes, workshops, etc.
- No well-actually's: A well-actually happens when someone says something that's almost - but not entirely - correct, and you say, "well, actually..." and give a minor correction. We strive to let others save face as part of our values, and most well-actually's aren't crucial to the overall conversation. (If it's critical to add your correction, use language that leaves room for the idea that you might be wrong or missing some context, too.)
- No exclusionary language: Be careful in the words that you choose, even if it's as small as choosing "hey, everyone" over "hey guys". Sexist, racist, and other exclusionary jokes are not appropriate and will not be tolerated under any circumstance. Any language that is unwelcoming - whether or not it rises to the level of harassment - is also strongly discouraged.
- No subtle -isms: Much exclusionary behavior takes the form of subtle -isms, or microaggressions – small things that make others feel unwelcome. For example, saying "It's so easy my grandmother could do it" is a subtle -ism with tones of both sexism and ageism. Regardless of intent, these comments can have a significant demeaning impact on others. If you see a subtle -ism, you can point it out to the relevant person, either publicly or privately, or you can ask a leader to address it.
Please don't say, "Comment X wasn't sexist!" or "That's not what they meant. You're being too sensitive." Similarly, please don't pile on someone who made a mistake. It's not a big deal to mess up – just apologize and move on.
These guidelines are ambitious, and we're not always going to succeed in meeting them. When something goes wrong — whether it's a microaggression or an instance of harassment — there are a number of things you can do to address the situation with your fellow members or with leadership.
We want everyone to be both happy and comfortable in the surroundings we provide, so we take concerns about this seriously. Depending on your comfort level and the severity of the situation, here are some things you can do to address it:
- Address it directly. If you're comfortable bringing up the incident with the person who instigated it, DM them or set up a video chat to discuss how it affected you. Be sure to approach these conversations in a forgiving spirit: an angry or tense conversation will not do either of you any good. If you're unsure how to go about that, or if you're too frustrated to have a direct conversation, there are a number of alternate routes you can take including reaching out to leadership either via Slack or email.
- Talk to one or more of the leadership team. If you're uncomfortable handling the situation directly, or if you feel the situation requires more direct handling, please bring it to the attention of the leadership team either on Slack or via email at inclusivetechbuffalo@gmail.com. You can also report a Code of Conduct violation anonymously using this Google form.
Sometimes, you'll be a witness to something that seems like it isn't aligned with your or our values. Err on the side of caring for your peers in situations like these. Even if an incident seems minor, reach out to the person impacted by it to check in. In certain situations, it may even be helpful to speak directly to the person who has violated the code of conduct, or to voice your concerns to the leadership team.
If you want to speak to a person impacted by an incident or to the person who has violated the code of conduct, but you're unsure of how to navigate these interactions, please reach out to the leadership team either on Slack or via email at inclusivetechbuffalo@gmail.com.
None of us are perfect: all of us, regardless of our backgrounds, will from time to time fail to live up to our very high standards. What matters isn't having a perfect track record, but owning up to your mistakes and committing to a clear and persistent effort to improve.
If you are approached as having (consciously or otherwise) acted in a way that might make someone feel unwelcome, listen with an open mind and avoid becoming defensive. Remember that if someone offers you feedback, it likely took a great deal of courage for them to do so. The best way to respect that courage is to acknowledge your mistake, apologize, and move on — with a renewed commitment to do better.
That said, repeated or severe violations of this code can and will be addressed by the leadership team, and can lead to removal from the event or group.
This Code of Conduct is borrowed heavily from the Buffer Code of Conduct, which is adapted from the Vox Code of Conduct, the Recurse Center's Social Rules and the Hack Code of Conduct.
Other relevant links from Buffer's Code of Conduct are:
This project is open source as a way to transparently share our code of conduct with the community.