We’re committed to making Netroots Nation as diverse and inclusive as possible. There’s always more progress to be made on this front, so we welcome your feedback and ideas.
Some of the ways we strive for better diversity and inclusivity:
• Including topics on our agenda that push attendees to think beyond their own communities and experiences
• Choosing panels that cross silos and encourage new partnerships within the movement
• Choosing panels that include a diverse group of speakers
• Offering trainings that benefit both beginners and advanced attendees
• Elevating new, diverse voices on the big stage
• Doing extensive outreach to encourage attendance from underrepresented communities
• Offering volunteer opportunities for those who may need help financially
• Working with Democracy for America to provide scholarships to deserving activists
• Helping attendees who have mobility issues or disabilities to have a positive experience on-site
In order to hold ourselves accountable and provide transparency with how we set our agenda, we started tracking data on some of these goals. For example, at the beginning of our panel selection process, we set two main goals: 1) that we would have more women representation than last year, and 2) that the ethnic representation across the board would be more diverse than ever. We also wanted to try to encourage more first-time submitters this year than ever before. We also have been tracking data within our registration system.
A few highlights from 2014:
• 53% of attendees and 61% of panelists were women
• 42% of our panels came from first-time submitters
• 53% of attendees were first-timers
• Attendees came from 45 states and 7 countries
• POC representation among our speakers was the highest ever (53%)
• Among speakers and attendees, we saw substantial growth in African American engagement and attendance
Specific growth in 2014 included:
• Increasing the number of female trainers by 10 percent
• Doubling the percentage of African American trainers over the previous year (from 8% to 16%)
• Increasing the number of female panelists by 5%
• Increasing the number of panelists/moderators who are people of color by 6%
• Increasing the number of African American panelists/moderators by 13%
If you have feedback or ideas, please reach out via the contact form.