SXSW 2020: Still time for last-minute voting!

Community voting for SXSW 2020 ends on Friday, August 23. It’s great that SXSW gets community input — voting counts for about 30% of their decision — but at the same time this can also reinforce the biases SXSW is known for: white guys have historically been overrepresented at SXSW (and Black women historically underrepresented) — and most voters are past attendees.

So here’s a handful of panels with some different perspectives to consider.

• Data-Activism for Social Justice, with Jameila Styles, Yeshimabet Milner,Renee Mitchell, and Rodric Crooks,
• The Future is Equitable, with Yvonne Gutierrez, Cecile Richards, Alicia Garza, and Ai-jen Poo
• Can a Reparations Model Break Barriers to Tech? with Cynthia Overton, Ivory Toldson, Angela Rye, and Danny Allen
• Advancing All Women In Tech, with Kety Esquivel, Elisa Batista, Xochitl Oseguera, Ana Flores
• Disfigurement, An Identity, with María Luisa Mendiola, Nathalia Freitas, and Ariel Henley
• Building Better Culture for Nontraditional Techies, with Spittel Ali, Kelly Miller, Lindsey Kopacz and Veni Kunche
• Latinas & Disability: Intersectional Feminism with Maryangel Garcia-Ramos, Ferny Ruiz, and Diana Velarde
• Afrofuturism and Immersive Design with Siciliana Trevino, AM Darke, Kristina Williams, and Charity Everette
• Product Prototyping for the Queer Community, with Anita Dolce, Mel Brittner Wells, Melanie Cristol and NiK Kacy
• Disability Swipes Right: How the Disability Forms, with Imani Barbarin, Emily Ladau, and Maryangel Garcia-Ramos
• Zebras vs Unicorns: Money and Power in the Valley, with Aniyia Williams, Astrid Scholz, Mara Zepeda, and Jennifer Brandel
• How Abstinence-Only Programs Harm LGBTQ Youth, with Lincoln Mondy, Katelyn Burns, and Lily McGrath
• CIS Golden Girls: Stories from 4 Black Techies, with Jumoke Dada, Dela Acolatse, Tosin Aje-Adegbite, and Angel Johnson
• Opportunity Zones as Inclusive Tech Ecosystems, with Lili Gangas, Irma Olguin, Rodney Sampson, and Jose Corona
• Decolonize Hollywood: Why Indigenous Voices Matter, with Jen Begeal, Jana Schmieding, Marilyn Thomas, Writer/Director, and Jason Gavin
• Building an Inclusive Maker Community, with Kareem Edouard, Youngmoo Kim, and Christopher Wright

Advancing All Women In Tech, with Kety Esquivel, Elisa Batista, Xochitl Oseguera, Ana Flores

Disfigurement, An Identity, with María Luisa Mendiola, Nathalia Freitas, and Ariel Henley

The Future is Equitable, with Yvonne Gutierrez, Cecile Richards, Alicia Garza, and Ai-jen Poo

Can a Reparations Model Break Barriers to Tech? with Cynthia Overton, Ivory Toldson, Angela Rye, and Danny Allen

Building Better Culture for Nontraditional Techies, with Spittel Ali, Kelly Miller, Lindsey Kopacz and Veni Kunche

Latinas & Disability: Intersectional Feminism with Maryangel Garcia-Ramos, Ferny Ruiz, and Diana Velarde

Afrofuturism and Immersive Design with Siciliana Trevino, AM Darke, Kristina Williams, Charity Everette

Zebras vs Unicorns: Money and Power in the Valley, with Aniyia Williams, Astrid Scholz, Mara Zepeda, and Jennifer Brandel

How Abstinence-Only Programs Harm LGBTQ Youth, with Lincoln Mondy, Katelyn Burns, and Lily McGrath

CIS Golden Girls: Stories from 4 Black Techies, with Jumoke Dada, Dela Acolatse, Tosin Aje-Adegbite, and Angel Johnson

Opportunity Zones as Inclusive Tech Ecosystems, with Lili Gangas, Irma Olguin, Rodney Sampson, and Jose Corona

Decolonize Hollywood: Why Indigenous Voices Matter, with Jen Begeal, Jana Schmieding, Marilyn Thomas, Writer/Director, and Jason Gavin

Building an Inclusive Maker Community, with Kareem Edouard, Youngmoo Kim, and Christopher Wright

If these sound like the kinds of topics you’d like to see at SXSW, here’s how to support them:

• Vote for it on the SXSW site. You’ll need to create an account to vote; once you do, the VOTE UP button is on the left-hand side.
• Leave a comment saying why you’re voting for it. To leave a comment, you’ll need to log in separately via Twitter, Facebook, or Disqus… I hate software. Still, comments are doubly helpful: the selection committee takes them into account; and, if other people see that somebody has commented, they’re more likely to comment themselves.
• Share it with your friends and colleagues who might be interested, in email or on social networks.