Linux Foundation Support for the Black Community

Statement from Arpit Joshipura, General Manager of Networking, IoT and Edge (LF Networking and LF Edge)

Members,

We at LFN and LF Edge are disheartened by the current situation of injustice, hate, and division we are seeing and believe recent actions are the opposite of our values. LFN and LF Edge are global umbrella organizations based on diversity, collaboration, mutual understanding, and respect. It is the essence of the very community building we engage in professionally.

The Linux Foundation has long stood for inclusion and open participation and has supported individuals and collective communities in our knowledge that diversity is a strength. We will continue to promote those values and do more.

Finally and most importantly, this is a time for most of us to listen, to listen to the experiences of our members who experience racism in their personal and professional lives. This is not a time to be defensive; this is a time to hear about experiences of our fellow members. We at LFN and LF Edge are here to listen. If you would like to have a discussion about this topic, please send me a note as well.

Statement from Kate Stewart, Sr. Director of Strategic Programs (Zephyr Project)

Dear Zephyr Project Community

When we started the Zephyr project, one of the goals was to come up with a solution to a very fragmented ecosystem for applications where Linux was just too big. Thanks to you, we have been succeeding, step by incremental step. We are focused on the common goal of building the best RTOS in the landscape while establishing a diverse and inclusive community. And while we may not always agree with each other in all details, one of the things that stands out for me is we’re all willing to listen to each other.

As we watch the news, the events in the U.S. over inequality and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to figure out how we can make a difference as individuals and as a larger group. Injustice, division, and isolation are causing harm in our society, and the effects are touching every single one of us. We’ve seen Zephyr members and our community start creating solutions to help with COVID-19, and it would be wonderful if the same creativity can be focused on the wider diversity problems as well.

While I don’t have the answers here, I do see this as a moment for us to listen and build from. We must seek to understand the enormous injustice and pain that results from inequality and isolation. Please take the time to engage on this topic with your families, friends, local and global communities, and use the creativity I see being demonstrated every day by the Zephyr community to help us come up with ideas for change.

If you would like to have a discussion about this topic, please send me a note as well.

Above all, let us continue to be examples within our broader and local communities, while staying engaged so that we can be a part of a larger change for the better.

Statement from John Mertic, Director (Open Mainframe)

We are all disheartened by the current issues in the US brought to the forefront of the news. Injustice and division are causing harm in our society, and the effects are touching every single one of us. I’ve personally seen the effects of this amongst my immediate family and close friends, which saddens me deeply. This is the opposite of our values as humans and my hope is that this brings the conversation of diversity to the forefront.

The Open Mainframe Project, along with The Linux Foundation, is an organization based on collaboration and mutual understanding. It is the essence of the very community-building we engage in professionally. All of us are stronger than one of us and diverse communities have always driven greater outcomes.

Our strength over the past decades has been the community’s desire to continue its legacy well past our lifetime. The only way to achieve this is by emphasising the focus on diversity – and events like what we’ve seen unfold nationwide illustrate how far we still need to go.

While I don’t have the answers here, I do see this as a moment for us to listen. We must seek to understand the enormous injustice and pain that results from inequality in our society. Please take the time to engage on this topic with your families, friends, local and global communities.

If you would like to have a discussion about this topic, please send me a note as well.

Above all, let us continue to be examples within our broader and local communities, while staying engaged so that we can be part of a larger change for the better.