This week marks the start of Black History Month—a time that is incredibly important here in the U.S., but also an opportunity for people everywhere to celebrate and reflect on a subset of society that has often found itself silenced. The impact of Black history can be seen over hundreds of years, including many inventions that have defined the world we live in today.
This time is about much more than knowing the history of the Black community—it is a checkpoint for us to reflect on how we’ve collaborated to improve the impact of this month throughout the year.
We have a busy month ahead, filled with learning, celebration, and action. Let’s explore how Clouderans are getting involved for Black History Month this year.
An Opportunity for Action
Our approach to these activities is broken into a three-phased approach: educate, include, and empower. In essence, we want everything we offer Clouderans this month to be purposeful so that it creates a working environment that is uplifting for people of all heritages and backgrounds.
As part of our Black History Month activities, we are hosting a virtual education event for Clouderans. In past years, we’ve held fun events like a Jeopardy-style game or an event focused around Juneteenth. This year, we’ve got a fun-filled educational event planned where attendees will get to engage with speakers and learn more about some of the most important aspects of Black History.
Bringing Clouderans together in this setting lets us present important facets of Black History that stitch together the past, present, and future in a way that leaves participants with a lasting memory of what they’ve learned.
Black History Month is about more than education, though. With that in mind, our team is taking action by providing students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with mentorship and guidance on how they can build a career in the technology field.
This is an incredibly rewarding experience, as Clouderans will join an event to connect directly with the students and answer questions they have about how to get started in their careers. This mentorship initiative shows just how important representation can be for building confidence and learning from others who may have had a similar path—particularly for segments of the population that may be underrepresented in the broader industry. Many of us have leaned on mentors throughout our careers, so having the chance to give back and serve that role for the next generation is critically important.
Learning from Black History Month is a Year-Round Endeavor
Black History Month is a time for us to really focus on the impact of the Black community. It’s something that we treat not just as a recognition month, but as a checkpoint that exists during the year—a point to look at the actions we have taken, and will take, during the year. Outside of Black History Month, Clouderans regularly take action by working with, or donating to charities, holding days of service to give back, and further strengthening their commitments to supporting these communities.
At times, it can be easy to take for granted just how much knowledge and awareness has shifted around Black History in recent years. And just as we’ve seen the Black History celebration grow from a single week into an entire month, there is always more we can do to understand the history and uplift the stories and achievements of this community.
Learn more about how Cloudera is building a more inclusive and diverse workplace.
