Twitter appoints Debra L. Lee as the company’s first black board member

Twitter, the micro-blogging social networking site, which has previously been heavily criticized for its lack of diversity and gender inclusion in its workforce has appointed Debra L. Lee as the company’s first black board member.

With the appointment, Lee, who is the chairperson and CEO of BET Networks, the parent company of Black Entertainment Television, becomes the third female board member, a welcome and notable development.

Lee, a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School is one of America’s most respected and experienced business executives.

Thrilled to be joining the @twitter board. It's transformed the media and the world like few other things in history (and continues to)!!

— Debra Lee (@IamDebraLee) May 16, 2016

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Black Twitter will surely appreciate Lee’s appointment, considering previous calls made against the company’s lack of diversity.

It is commonplace knowledge that America’s technology sector, particularly the Silicon Valley, that tech companies have been lagging behind in terms of gender equality, and racial inclusion.

Las year, one of Twitter’s former employee, Leslie Miley criticised the tech company’s lack of understanding of diversity and the disproportionate race and ethnicity employment figures. Miley was the only black engineer in a leadership position at Twitter and reportedly had to pass on his severance package so that he could speak openly about his experience at Twitter.

Read: Twitter lacks diversity and inclusion: Former employee says

Commenting on accusations of lack of diversity and inclusion, Twitter has previously said, it is “committed to making substantive progress in making Twitter more diverse and inclusive”.

The fact that the tech industry is dominated by men is hardly surprising, hence the need for gender parity and inclusion in both leadership (management and board), and tech positions. With the growth of its users on the rise across the globe (with over 310 million active monthly users), there are expectations that Twitter needs to stop paying lip service to diversity, racial and gender inclusion and begin to act on its commitment in a substantial manner.

Although the recent appointment of Lee as Twitter’s first black board member will not immediately change the glaring gender and racial disparities, in the long run it could influence more radical changes in terms of gender parity and racial inclusion.

Social media messages:

.@IamDebraLee Congrats for making history today, and for making a difference always!!#BlackWomenLead https://t.co/XRpIGCY9Ct

— Dana Vickers Shelley (@DVStrategies) May 17, 2016

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https://twitter.com/loluwaye/status/735027608086319104

https://twitter.com/hilaryr/status/732394964466991104

Congrats Debra Lee! Opening doors for women in tech 💛 #womenintech #confidence #blackgirlsrock… https://t.co/z8ZXU6OfGp

— _TRAVELINGHEART (@_TRAVELINGHEART) May 17, 2016

Source:  Twitter