Facebook’s Civil Rights Audit Chapter Four: Diversity and Inclusion As the nation becomes more attuned to systemic exclusion and inequities, companies should recognize diversity and inclusion as paramount and they should expect to be held accountable for their success (or failure) to embody these principles. In recent weeks, the tragedies and ensuing protests against police violence and systemic racism have led to a wave of corporate statements against the racism and injustice facing communities of color. For some, these expressions of solidarity ring hollow from companies whose workforce and leadership fail to reflect the diversity of this country or whose work environments feel far from welcoming or inclusive to underrepresented groups. The civil rights community hopes that these company commitments to doing “better” or “more” start with actual, concrete progress to further instill principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in corporate America and Silicon Valley. Progress includes more diverse workforces at every level and inclusive environments with structures in place to promote equity and remove barriers. It includes a path to C-Suite or senior leadership posts for people of color (in roles that are not limited to diversity officer positions as is often the case in corporate America), and company-wide recognition that diversity and inclusion is a critical function of all senior leadership and managers (rather than the responsibility of those in underrepresented groups). This chapter provides a window into the status of diversity and inclusion at Facebook — its stated goals, policies, and programs — contextualized through the lens of concerns that have been raised in the civil rights community. The civil rights community has long expressed concern regarding diversity and inclusion at Facebook—from staff and contractors (like those who are content reviewers), to senior management, and outside vendors or service providers that are used by the company to furnish everything from supplies to financial services. These concerns are multi-faceted. Civil rights groups have raised alarms about the relative dearth of people of color, older workers, people with disabilities, women, and other traditionally underrepresented minorities (“URMs”) (including African Americans, Hispanic, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders) at Facebook—across multiple positions and levels, but particularly in technical roles and in leadership positions. Civil rights leaders have characterized the current numbers for Hispanic and African American staff as abysmal across every category (e.g., technical roles, nontechnical roles, management, etc.). Because of this lack of representation, civil rights groups have advocated for Facebook to do more to grow a strong and effective recruiting pipeline bringing underrepresented minorities into the company. Aside from recruiting and hiring, civil rights advocates also have challenged Facebook to ensure that those underrepresented minorities hired are retained, included, and promoted to positions of leadership— so that experiences of isolation or exclusion by URM employees do not lead to attrition reducing already low employment numbers. Concerns about the URM employee experience have been heightened in recent years following public memos and posts from current or former employees alleging experiences with bias, exclusion, and/ or microaggressions. The House Committee on Financial Services summarized many of these concerns in a public memo issued in advance of its 2019 hearing on Facebook in which it stated: • “Facebook’s 2019 diversity report highlights the company’s slow progress with diversity metrics. From 2018 to 2019, Facebook reported less than a one percent increase in the total number of female employees. A majority 59