To mark Black History Month this February, our Professionals of Color network is inviting our global team to participate in its “Two-Step Allyship Challenge” as well as promoting a series of events and online resources to employees across Sophos.
Allyship can foster authentic inclusivity because it creates an inclusive workplace and culture where workers are less likely to feel isolated and marginalized. There is no prescriptive method to becoming an ally, however our two-step challenge is encouraging Sophos employees to:
- Take part in hidden bias tests to measure their unconscious bias through a series of quizzes developed by psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and the University of Washington.
- Learn and understand complex social challenges by watching shared online resources and talks. For example, hair discrimination. In the past, policies that prohibit natural hairstyles, like afros, braids, bantu knots, and locs, have been used to justify the removal of Black children from classrooms, and Black adults from their employment.
Through encouraging our people to engage and gain knowledge we hope that everyone can become better informed and feel empowered to effect change within, and outside, Sophos.
Sophos will also be making a donation to National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME).
NACME is the largest provider of college scholarships, resources, and opportunities for high-achieving, underrepresented minority college students pursuing careers in engineering and computer science in the US.
This initiative was led by our Professionals of Color Network. You can find out more about Sophos’ diversity and inclusion networks on our careers website.