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Holding Communities for Community Professionals to a Higher Standard

Published: March 15, 2021, 9:30 a.m.

The field of community management is buzzing. We have more tools available to us than ever before and an abundance of communities and resources to connect us with fellow professionals who know our work and want to share knowledge. But what goes into creating inclusive, diverse, and truly open and welcoming spaces for community professionals? Who is given a platform to share knowledge?

In this conversation with\xa0Faisa Mohamed, co-founder of\xa0Somalis in Tech, we broach this topic and how Faisa and her team approached launching Somali Women in Tech. On paper, the approach may sound simple \u2013\u2013 Faisa made sure that that the Somalis in Tech team was onboard with the mission and purpose of Somali Women in Tech. \u201cIf you ask the other team members what Somali Women in Tech is, including the male members who are not in this group, they\u2019re going to know exactly what it is and can tell you exactly what it is because they are fully aware of it.\u201d (Head to 25:06 to pick up at this part of the conversation.) But in practice, we\u2019ve seen that\u2019s not a priority for all communities. In the case of Somali Women in Tech, Faisa provides an example of how building community with diversity, equity, and inclusion as important values from day one leads to more successful communities, both from an internal and external perspective.

So \u2013\u2013 how are you creating space and opportunity for others in the community industry? To what standards do you hold the communities that you build and that you\u2019re part of? We\u2019re always interested in hearing from you, so if there\u2019s something you\u2019ve tried or learned from recently, let us know.\xa0

Faisa and Patrick also discuss:

Reading between the lines of community job descriptions
Gatekeeping in the community management industry
Being \u201cintentional\u201d in inclusion efforts

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\xa0 \xa0 Big Quotes

How inclusive and open are communities for community pros? (14:36):\xa0\u201cWith each [community professional] group and clique, you\u2019re going to hear more buzzwords, and you\u2019re going to hear more excluding language. People are going to plug into resources and share resources more privately as you become more within communities. [But that\u2019s] just not how I came to be in this profession. I came into this profession through exposure to communities, people wanting to help you and that natural curiosity.\u201d \u2013@faisatweets

When your story isn\u2019t told (22:48):\xa0\u201cAs a woman of many intersections, being a Black Muslim, child of immigrants, eldest daughter \u2026 navigating communities with these intersections, you often see the gaps of which your experience has not been acknowledged or thought about. Actually, this has been something I\u2019ve faced mostly in women communities. Communities with the focus for women have often been one type of narrative. I feel, too many times, my story has not been told.\u201d \u2013@faisatweets

Getting internal stakeholders on the same page about building diverse communities (25:06):\xa0\u201cI often find projects with an aim of inclusivity or diversity are personal or side projects that don\u2019t get a lot of visibility. I can\u2019t be the only one championing this. It has to be the entire team. If you ask the other team members, what Somali Women in Tech is, including the male members who are not in this group, they\u2019re going to know exactly what it is and can tell you exactly what it is because they are fully aware of it.\u201d \u2013@faisatweets

Community is not a cure-all (39:40):\xa0\u201cDuring the Black Lives Matter protests \u2026 I\u2019m really paraphrasing here but [a prominent white man in the community industry] effectively said community is going to be the solution to discrimination such as racism. I actually just responded to him and said, \u2018It\u2019s also the thing that\u2019s currently perpetuating it.\u2019 It\u2019s part of the problem, because community [is] effectively groups. The most extreme example is the KKK meets up every week. That\u2019s a community. There are absolutely extreme right-wing versions of communities that exist. Just because we don\u2019t acknowledge them or may not see them in our everyday lives, they are still communities. We have to understand the power that community has \u2013\u2013 good or bad.\u201d \u2013@faisatweets

About Faisa Mohamed

Faisa Mohamed\xa0(she/her) is a community consultant, builder, nurturer, and manager with an interest in product. Faisa previously worked at Bumble and Peanut and is now a contractor at Facebook working on their developer community program,\xa0Developer Circles. Faisa is also the co-founder of\xa0Somalis in Tech, a community organization increasing the visibility and representation of Somali talent in the tech industry.