[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 621 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2nd Session
S. RES. 621
Designating March 24th, 2024, as ``National Women of Color in Tech
Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 22, 2024
Ms. Rosen (for herself, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Cortez Masto,
Mr. Padilla, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Warner, Ms. Butler, Mr. Welch, Mr.
Heinrich, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Fetterman, and Mr.
Lujan) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Designating March 24th, 2024, as ``National Women of Color in Tech
Day''.
Whereas National Women of Color in Tech Day acknowledges the challenges many
women of color face in the field of technology (referred to in this
preamble as ``tech'') and recognizes and emphasizes the importance of
women of color in tech in the United States, including--
(1) Katherine Johnson, a former engineer at the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration;
(2) Marie Van Brittan Brown, who invented the first home security
system; and
(3) Patricia Bath, who invented the Laserphaco Probe for the removal of
cataracts;
Whereas evidence suggests that structural and social barriers in tech education,
tech workforce development, the tech workforce, and venture capital
investment in tech can disproportionately and negatively affect women of
color;
Whereas women are underrepresented in tech, and women of color often face
additional systemic barriers in the tech ecosystem specifically and in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this
preamble as ``STEM'') fields generally;
Whereas underrepresented minority students often face an opportunity gap in STEM
education in the United States;
Whereas women and girls of color often face an achievement gap in science and
engineering education;
Whereas women and girls overall often face a large opportunity gap in computer
science;
Whereas the competitiveness of the United States in the 21st-century global
economy largely depends on developing STEM-literate citizens;
Whereas the demand for professionals in tech and computing fields is expected to
increase substantially over the next decade;
Whereas, as of March 2023, data showed that there were more than 750,000 open
and unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States;
Whereas increasing the number of women of color in tech will be critical to
building and maintaining a competitive tech workforce;
Whereas women of color currently make up 41 percent of the female population in
the United States and are projected to make up the majority of women by
2060;
Whereas, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, women of
color in the United States earned 17 percent of bachelor's degrees and 7
percent of doctorates in STEM fields during the 2021-2022 school year;
Whereas the low number of women of color in tech positions who have not received
a bachelor's degree, but who have earned other certificates,
demonstrates that women of color may not be taking sufficient advantage
of alternative pathways for reskilling in computing-related areas or may
not have adequate access or exposure to these pathways;
Whereas increasing the inclusion of women of color in the science and tech
sectors can provide role models who can inspire students of all
backgrounds and identities, including young girls of color;
Whereas diversity in any field incorporates different experiences and ideas that
can ultimately lead to more creative and pioneering solutions to the
current and future problems of the United States;
Whereas a May 2020 study by McKinsey and Company shows that companies with a
diverse workforce often perform better, hire more qualified employees,
have more engaged employees, and are better at retaining workers than
companies that do not prioritize diversity;
Whereas communities of color are underrepresented in corporate leadership roles,
including in the tech sector; and
Whereas a pipeline of qualified tech candidates of color is critical for future
growth, particularly as the tech industry works to improve the
recruiting, hiring, and retaining of candidates and employees of color:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates March 24, 2024, as ``National Women of Color
in Tech Day'';
(2) recognizes the celebration of National Women of Color
in Tech Day as a time to reflect on the many notable
contributions that women of color have made to the field of
technology in the United States;
(3) urges the people of the United States to observe
National Women of Color in Tech Day with appropriate programs
and activities;
(4) pledges to work to increase diversity and inclusion in
the technology sector, including through robust plans to ensure
recruitment, training, and retention of underrepresented
minorities at all levels;
(5) commits to working to eliminate barriers to entering
the technology sector faced by women of color and individuals
from other underrepresented groups;
(6) reaffirms the commitment of the Senate to ensuring that
all students have access to science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (referred to in this resolution as ``STEM'')
education for a 21st-century economy, including computer
science education in particular;
(7) supports efforts to strengthen investments in, and
collaborations with, educational institutions, including
community colleges, historically Black colleges and
universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian-American,
Native American, and Pacific Islander-serving institutions,
Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native
Hawaiian-serving institutions, and other minority-serving
institutions, to sustain a pipeline of diverse STEM graduates
ready to enter the technology sector; and
(8) urges the President to work with Congress to improve
data collection, data disaggregation, and dissemination of
information for greater understanding and transparency of
diversity in STEM education and across the workforce of the
United States.
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