Open Source Summit North America 2023

Open source software projects are hyper-collaborative environments but surveys reveal that project members lack diversity. There are many reasons why open source projects appear uninviting to people of underrepresented groups. We would consider these reasons “bugs” if the system was software. This talk uses the idea of DEI bugs to discuss how we can identify where open source projects fall short in being inviting and inclusive. The goal of this framing is to find ways to squash these bugs and bring out the potential of everyone who has an interest in our open source projects. A concrete suggestion is to walk in the shoes of others and take a fresh look at your project. The audience will learn actionable steps to take a new look at their own open source projects and start making a positive difference. This revised talk adds a discussion of common DEI bugs, where they come from, and how we can resolve them. [notes to program committee:] We revised this talk based on feedback that the talk could be improved with more examples and guidance. We walk faster through the steps of identifying DEI bugs and added a discussion of common DEI bugs, based on peer-reviewed research.