During part one of our conversation with Shireen Mitchell, you heard what it was like for a young Black girl from the projects of New York to get into computers, gaming, and coding during the 1980s. Shireen recounted her time attending an HBCU and her career experiences in Washington D.C. that gave her eye-opening looks into the issues minority women were (and still are) facing within the tech realm. If you missed part one, please make sure to give that one a listen first.
In part two with Shireen, she tells us about founding Stop Online Violence Against Women, and we have a candid talk about the constant slew of threats, harassment, and sexism women of color face in online spaces—and how social media platforms tend to have it backward in their approach to policing abuse directed at minorities.
Very fitting for right now, we also discuss what it really means when conversations about racism and sexism are labeled as “getting political”—and how this has led social media platforms to enact special protections for politicians that typically don’t extend to ordinary citizens.
Towards the end, you’ll hear Shireen’s thoughts on the problems with hiring practices regarding diversity and inclusivity and why so many still can’t seem to find the right approach. You’ll also hear her views on what true allyship looks like in practice and some closing thoughts on voter suppression and the weaponized disinformation. Don’t miss this episode!
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Stop Online Violence Against Women - A nonprofit that addresses inadequate laws and policies that lack protections for women, in particular women of color
- An explainer on Donglegate, widely viewed as the precursor to Gamergate
- Gamergate—An online harassment campaign that centered on issues of sexism and anti-progressivism in video game culture
- Kansas Cop Fired After Threatening 5-Year-Old Girl On Facebook—Huffington Post
- Twitter Blocks 'Uncle Tim' From Trends After Racist Phrase Goes Viral in Respons
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com