Thank you, Jack Dorsey
Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code
If I told you that one of Girls Who Code’s biggest champions is a man, would you believe me? What if I told you it’s not even because he identifies as a husband or a father or a brother — but because he truly believes in equity, and in the untapped talent of young women? Seems unlikely, right? Wrong.
This year, Jack Dorsey will be donating $2 million of unrestricted funding through his #StartSmall philanthropic initiative to Girls Who Code — no reporting, no marketing requirements, no strings attached. It’s the largest single-year gift we’ve ever received. It’s beyond generous. And in fact it’s the least of what he’s done for us over the years.
Jack’s always shown up as an ally — a real, selfless, constant ally. And he’s not alone. That’s true of our male board members Paul Daugherty, Craig Newmark, Javier Polit, Juan Sabater, Phil Shawe, Jason Spero. And it’s true of the dozens of men stewarding our corporate partnerships, and the thousands of men who run local Girls Who Code clubs across the country.
These are men who believe — with their whole beings — in our mission. And, again, not because they are fathers to daughters or husbands to wives or brothers to sisters. They’ve never needed to qualify their allyship in that way. They support our work because they believe in equity.
That kind of male allyship is rare. And we need it now more than ever.
All year, our girls have been getting signals from people in power — from universities, business leaders, legislators — that there are more pressing matters at hand than their education, their futures, their lives. And, of course, these signals didn’t start with COVID.
This is where the support of our male allies makes all the difference. Because in our fight to support young women, to close the gender gap in tech — we rely not only on the dollars that help us run our programs, but also on the advocacy of people in power who can affect real, lasting change.
Consider what happens when Jack makes a point, every single summer, to visit the Girls Who Code classroom hosted on Twitter’s campus. Or when he mentors our alumni on career moves in tech, even after they’ve finished our programs. Or when he flies to Houston to join me on a panel about the gender gap in tech — just 10 days after he was named CEO of Twitter.
When he does these things, he’s sending a signal to our girls that says: you matter. When he does these things, he’s also sending a signal to others in power that says: we are all responsible for change.
We need more of that.
We need more allies who understand, at their core, that it’s all wrong… the makeup of the industry, the stereotype of the male coder, the ways in which women’s stories have been written out of history. We need more allies who want change, and who are committed to being a part of it.
That’s the kind of support that will shift attitudes, change hearts and minds — bringing more people into our movement, and giving more girls the chance to change the world with technology. The gift of advocacy from those in power, of a belief in the righteousness of our collective fight to achieve equity in tech, is priceless.
ABOUT GIRLS WHO CODE
Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. With their 7-week Summer Immersion Program, after school Clubs, and College Loops program, they are leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. Girls Who Code has reached 300,000 girls to date through its programs and 500 million people through campaigns, advocacy work, and New York Times best-selling series. To join the movement or learn more, visit girlswhocode.com. Follow the organization on social media @GirlsWhoCode.
ABOUT #STARTSMALL
#StartSmall is Jack Dorsey’s philanthropic initiative to fund global COVID-19 relief, girls health and education, and efforts towards Universal Basic Income. Dorsey transferred $1 billion (28% of his wealth) to #startsmall in 2020.
