All men and women are created equal.
We definitely start that way. Over time, through conditioning and external influences, we are compartmentalised and inserted into neat boxes that have been crafted over thousands of years.
And if we're not fitting into these boxes, we are politely (sometimes rudely), quietly (sometimes loudly) and lightly pressured (sometimes forced) to leave the 'normal' population and pursue life on the outside.
Personally, I love an outsider and everything that means. Different, unique, interesting, smart, courageous, persistent. But I don't like the way the 'normal' population treat them. Or how they are under-represented in many walks of life, including tech. The words normal, average, plain and ordinary strike a palpable fear in my heart.
Scratch the surface, look a little deeper, try a little harder and you will find that not only are they there, but they are proud and successful. Their presence screams change and a step closer to acceptance. This growing army of game-changers are exceptional and unconventional and inspiring.
The beauty of technology is that it doesn't judge. It doesn’t come from a specific country or date a certain kind of girl. It is faceless, indiscriminate, innovative and diverse. It traverses all backgrounds and pushes boundaries. And Silicon Valley is leading the way.
We humans may lag behind a little…but we'll get there.
And when we do, it will be beautiful ❤
A photography project by San Francisco based photographer, Helena Price has been sweeping through Silicon Valley and causing a real stir. The Techies is a portrait project that focusses on employees in the tech industry, but not the people you're used to seeing. Helena spoke with individuals you're not likely to find in TechCrunch and Mashable, the underrepresented minorities, from people of colour, people over 50, LGBTQ people, women (yes, still a minority in Silicon Valley), working parents, disabled people and many more. The people included couldn't be more diverse or more interesting. A short bio introduces each individual captured.
