FAQs
Hopefully you will find your answer here, if not please reach out via our contact.
Q. Why have you focused on Black people?
A. While we acknowledge that people of all races can fall victim to racism, the experience of Black people is unique. The pledge discredits racism in all its forms. However, the specific experience of Black people in the cyber community is something that must be addressed & deserves focus.
Q. Why was this pledge set up?
A. As a cyber security community, we’ve shown in the past that we’re not afraid to make positive changes where we need to. To do what is right. The slow but important progress on issues like gender equality and neurodiversity demonstrate that we can change if we collectively decide that we want to be better.
The murder of George Floyd in the US, and the following Black Lives Matter protests around the World, encouraged us to recognise that it’s time to face up to the reality of racism. And end it.
As a cyber security community, it is no longer good enough for us to be silent and ‘do no harm’. We must take proactive and decisive steps to ‘do good’.
Q. Who set up this pledge?
A. We are a few individuals in the cyber security industry who started talking and realised we could “be the change we wanted to see”. We recognise other individuals and groups who have been progressing this issue and we hope the community will unite to be #VersusRacism.
We are Becky Pinkard, FC, Jessica Barker, Kunjal Tanna and Oz Alashe.
Q. What can I do to help and support this pledge?
A. Share the pledge, on social media, in your organisation and with your networks.
Read this blog post which includes a list as a starter to change, challenge, and evolve.
Visit the resources page which includes links to informative and actionable information.
Q. Where can I find more information?
A. Check out our resources page.
Q. Why do you use ‘Black’, 'BAME' or 'PoC'?
A. We recognise that words matter and we want to use the correct terminology. We also recognise that what is the correct terminology for one person may not be right for someone else.
‘People of Colour’ or ‘PoC’ is a widely used term in the US whereas ‘Black, Asian and minority ethnic’ or ‘BAME’ is widely used in the UK and other parts of the world.
At this time, our focus is on Black people - those who need everyone’s help the most. We also want to ensure we work towards educating, creating awareness of and challenging all forms of racism.