EDITOR: The San Jose/Silicon Valley branch of the NAACP strongly
applauds Silicon Valley companies Intel, Lucent Technologies,
Microsoft and TRW as well as Stanford University for standing up
for the need for diversity in higher education.
EDITOR:
The San Jose/Silicon Valley branch of the NAACP strongly applauds Silicon Valley companies Intel, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft and TRW as well as Stanford University for standing up for the need for diversity in higher education.
These world class high-tech firms and top-rated institution also clearly understand what we know to be true in Silicon Valley, that diversity ensures that you can be competitive in both the global and local economy.
Recently released employment shows that, even in the boom years, women and people of color made very modest gains in the workplace. It is clear that as the number of women and people of color graduating from our nations universities dwindle, it impacts the ability of high tech and other companies to diversify their workforce, and thus be competitive.
The stakes are high. Unfortunately race colors all our lives and is itself a life experience. If the Supreme Court rules that race is not a valid factor in admissions decisions, it could wreak havoc on admissions programs and change the face of higher education, thereby severely impacting the ability of our workforce to reflect their customer base.
By standing with the community, these industry leaders have also telegraphed their desire to ensure that our educational institutions remain a reflection of the society that we live in. I am sure the majority of our community joins the NAACP in applauding their righteous actions.
Rick L. Callender,
branch president
