Lessons Learned Leading an OSS Diversity Team - Fatima Sarah Khalid - GitLab

Building bridges, recognizing privilege, and prioritizing education and influence are essential for leading an open-source diversity team, creating inclusive spaces, and advocating for marginalized voices.

Key takeaways
  • Building bridges is crucial for diversity teams to bring people together and create inclusive spaces.
  • Privilege is something to be aware of, and leaders must recognize their own privilege and use their voice to amplify marginalized voices.
  • Be open and transparent about the challenges you face, even if it’s uncomfortable, and prioritize educating and influencing others.
  • Diversity teams often start out as a small group of passionate people who are excited to make a difference, but they may not always understand the nuances of community dynamics.
  • Community teams should be aware of the power structures in their community and work to dismantle systems of oppression.
  • Inclusive leadership requires being willing to listen, to speak truth to power, and to advocate for marginalized voices.
  • Conflict resolution is crucial for community teams, and leaders must be willing to navigate disagreements and find common ground.
  • Change management is essential for community teams, as they grow and evolve over time.
  • Documenting insights and discussions can help create a shared understanding and improve decision-making.
  • Diversity teams should prioritize self-reflection and self-care, as the work can be emotionally draining.
  • It’s essential to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to community building, and teams must be willing to adapt and evolve over time.
  • Community teams should focus on building trust and creating a culture of openness and transparency.
  • It’s important to recognize the emotional labor that women, people of color, and other marginalized individuals put into community work.
  • Inclusive leadership requires creating space for people to share their concerns and providing support and resources for marginalized individuals.