[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 51 (Friday, March 22, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 621--DESIGNATING MARCH 24TH, 2024, AS ``NATIONAL 
                      WOMEN OF COLOR IN TECH DAY''

  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:

                              S. Res. 621

       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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