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https://twitter.com/TechCrunch/status/696913394448752641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

We’ll bet that you don’t know the names Megan Anctil, Erica Baker, Kiné Camara, and Duretti Hirpa, but these amazing Black women made a huge statement to tech companies who have failed to include racial minorities (and other marginalized groups) in their workplaces.

MUST READ: BEAUTIFUL NEWS: These 73 Gorgeous Black Female Scientists Inspire Us & The World

The four engineers accepted the award for fastest rising startup on behalf of Slack at TechCrunch’s annual tech awards show on Monday, Feb 8. CEO Stewart Butterfield has long been the face of the brand, but he encouraged the four women to represent Slack at the awards ceremony in his absence. A company representative says he felt it was important to show people that the stereotype of engineers being White, heteronormative and upper and middle class men is quickly and drastically changing.

As they accepted the award, Camara spoke for the group and even quoted King Bey in all of her glory, saying:

There are many things that are major keys to the success of Slack, not least of which are diversity and inclusion. The idea that diversity of companies improve the culture and bottom line may be somewhat controversial, but all we know is we’ve got 9 percent of women of color in engineering at Slack, four of whom are up here tonight in formation. And we’re the fastest-growing enterprise software startup of all time, so…

MUST READ: Study Reveals That 100% Of Women Of Color Scientists Experience Gender & Culture Bias More Than Their White Co-Workers

Nine percent isn’t a very large number but the company has reportedly made significant progress in late 2015, as Black engineers employed at the company made a .8 percent increase from September to December. The company has also increased its employment of female engineers up to 25 percent from 18 percent in September.

Watch Camara’s fierce speech in the clip above.

[SOURCE: Quartz]

RELATED LINKS:

Women Of Color Continue To Shatter The Glass Ceiling In Technology

Young Black Girls Are Killing The Tech Game, Despite What You Heard

Coding Is The New Black: Here’s Why You Should Care About Science, Tech, Engineering & Math

Four Black Female Engineers Just Won One Of The Most Coveted Awards In The Tech Industry  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com

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