The Rev. Jesse Jackson has made tech diversity his mission for years. His latest stop this week featured a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and a standing room only talk inside Intel's Santa Clara headquarters.
Introduced by Bay Area Journalist Van Jones, Rev. Jackson spoke about education and opportunity as the keys to giving young minorities a leg up on their way to the tech industry. He says it's then up to the companies themselves to increase their diversity efforts.
Coming on the heels of some pretty disappointing diversity reports from several tech companies, his timing is good.
"There have been patterns of exclusion of Blacks and Latinos," he says. "It limits growth. Inclusion leads to growth. Local companies say they agree. Pandora, based in Oakland, says it will triple its diversity budget next year."
As for his meeting with Tim Cook, Rev. Jackson says it went well. He says he encouraged Cook to "build Apple stores not just in downtown America, but in ghettos and barrios, too." He also reserved praise for Intel, whch hosted the event, and has committed to becoming more inclusive.
Scott is on Twitter: @scottbudman
