#EqualityForAll is a core value of Salesforce and the Salesforce developer community. At Dreamforce 2016, we’re celebrating equality for all of our employees, customers, and partners with a series of sessions curated by the Salesforce Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). These sessions bring us the worldview of various facets of our diverse community and provide a chance for all of us to learn more about each other.

Attending an ERG-sponsored Dreamforce session is an easy way to diversify your feed; that is, to intentionally expand your network. Whether it’s following people on social media, taking the time to go to coffee, or attending an event hosted by an affinity group, meeting people from different groups makes our Salesforce Ohana (Hawaiian for “family”) stronger.

Bookmark these ERG-sponsored sessions today so you’ll be ready to select them when the Dreamforce Agenda Builder opens September 7, 2016. You can also search for these sessions by setting the Theme to “Equality”. Dreamforce is sold out, but you can still get in on the Dreamforce inspiration with a free Expo+ pass, or sign up to watch it live from anywhere in the world.

ERG-Sponsored Sessions

Build Advocates of #EqualityForAll Into Your Company Culture

Equality is a core value at Salesforce and our Aloha culture allows for expression of work-life integrity, the idea that everyone should be able to be their most authentic self both at home and at work. Join this discussion on cultivating equality in the workplace to find out how you can partner with the #SalesforceOhana to build advocates of equality for all throughout your company culture.

Tales from Minority Leaders Breaking Glass Ceilings

McKinsey’s research has found that diversity in leadership directly corresponds to better company performance. However, diversity statistics in Silicon Valley show that minorities are not getting a seat at the table when it comes to leadership. While Asian and Asian-Americans are well represented in lower-level positions, they are severely underrepresented in management and executive-level positions. Beyond that, African-Americans are among the most underrepresented groups in leadership today. Why is this happening and how did these powerhouse leaders from top companies overcome the racial barriers to succeed and inspire others? Hear the experiences and perspectives of top executives at Farmers, GM, PlanGrid, and AnyPerk on the importance of role models, the burden of expectations, and their own story of breaking barriers.

Abilityforce: Solve for Customer and Employee Needs Through Accessibility

In the U.S., 15% of people have a mobility impairment, 16.8% suffer from hearing loss, and 9% have a visual impairment. The #SalesforceOhana is a large ecosystem, and together with our customers and partners, we have unparalleled influence and ability to make a great change for people with disabilities. Join the conversation and share how your organization provides an excellent customer experience for people with disabilities, such as our Service Support Providers offered at Dreamforce for disabled guests who need assistance getting around.

Abilityforce: Why Deaf and Hard-of-hearing People Make Better Programmers

Destiny brought Deaf Kids Code and Salesforce together to solve the gap in tech talent. According to the CDC, people who are deaf/ hard-of-hearing are at high risk of unemployment or chronic underemployment at a rate of 65% or more nationally. Shireen Hafeez started Deaf Kids Code to promote computer programming skills to the deaf/ hard-of-hearing and has a dream to build a global pipeline of diverse tech talent. Join us to hear the story that led her to Salesforce to grow and scale her operations, and growing community of partners.

BOLDforce: African American Entrepreneurs Changing the Face of Startups

According to a recent MIT study, more than one in ten workers, or 13 million people, in the United States are self-employed business owners, yet only 5.1 percent of African American workers own businesses, compared with more than 11 percent of white and Asian workers. What is it like to be an African American entrepreneur, what obstacles do they face, and how can they overcome? Join us as these successful leaders share their stories.

BOLDforce: Designing for Worldview and Overcoming Unconscious Bias

Join us as we apply the problem-solving power of human-centered design to the challenge of building awareness of unconscious bias. You’ll finish the workshop with an understanding of design thinking, as well as an opportunity to design an intervention for a partner’s unconscious bias. Lead by Amy Lazarus, CEO of Inclusion Ventures, and Emi Kolawole, editor-in-residence at The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University.

BOLDforce: Opportunity Equality – Diversity in Coding

By 2020, there will be one million unfilled jobs for programmers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the current education system, particularly those in underserved communities, are not equipping these children with adequate technical skills, such as coding, robotics, engineering, and more. How can we ensure that historically unrepresented youth have the right skill set to take full advantage of these job opportunities? Join this group of thought leaders for a dynamic conversation about empowering youth with the skills to innovate and lead in the technical job market of tomorrow. Co-Founder of Change Catalyst & Tech Inclusion, Wayne Sutton will moderate a lively think tank discussion with CEO and Founder of Black Girls Code, Kimberly Bryant, Founding Executive Director, Brandon Nicholson, Ph.D. and Co-Founder, Telegraph Academy, Albrey Preston Brown.

Earthforce: Inspiring Employees to Drive Sustainability

Looking to help make your company more sustainable and eco-friendly? Whether your company has 10 or 10,000 employees, our five successful steps will show you how to set up and inspire employee action, as well as how to empower employees to live greener lives at work and at home. Join us to meet the Earthforce Green Team, a group of Salesforce employee volunteers who are passionate about championing environmental responsibility and sustainability globally.

Latinoforce: Corporate Social Responsibility: Diversity & Inclusion

The tangible impacts of having a diverse and inclusive workforce include greater innovation, increased productivity, higher employee satisfaction, and more. Companies are taking positive actions – both within their organizations and the communities around them – to create more dynamic workforces. Join us to learn best practices implemented by organizations across the US and Latin America that improve diversity and inclusion.

Latinoforce: Latino Entrepreneurship & Silicon Valley

A new generation of Latino entrepreneurs from around the world can benefit from the guidance and resources offered by Silicon Valley professionals and organizations. Join us as we discuss the challenges these new entrepreneurs face and some of the current resources they have at their disposal. We’ll highlight how organizations like Salesforce are helping them address these challenges, supporting them on their journeys to success.

Outforce: Apply Gender Inclusive Practices to Acquire and Retain Customers

Most companies don’t know they are leaving money on the table when selling, marketing, and servicing an increasingly diverse audience. Join us to learn how to take advantage of the opportunity of being gender-inclusive and how Salesforce enables you to do so. The visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming folks has exploded in recent years, making it crucial for all organizations to be cognizant of gender inclusive. Learn how to use Salesforce to create equality for all using CRM best practices across the entire customer journey.

Outforce: Navigating Diversity in the Age of The Customer: A Rainbow side Chat

Understand how identity shapes the experience consumers have with a business so you can better sell, market, and service in the progressing physical and digital worlds. We’ll bring in a customer and a guest speaker to share what each has learned about building inclusive tech, with the lens of both an end-consumer and a business owner. Join our discussion and be inspired to make your business more welcoming for your diverse customers.

Pacificforce: Sleeping in a Parking Lot to CEO: AnyPerk’s Taro Fukuyama

With dreams of becoming a tech entrepreneur, Taro Fukuyama left his homeland of Japan for Silicon Valley. With humble beginnings, sleeping at a Taco Bell parking lot, to later hustling his way into TechCrunch Disrupt, success didn’t come easily. A Y Combinator grad who broke ground by being the first Japanese team ever admitted into YC, AnyPerk co-founder, and CEO Taro Fukuyama has built a thriving and innovative company with the intent of making people happy. Join us to learn how AnyPerk helps employers of all sizes award employees with perks and recognize great achievements to optimize employee satisfaction and productivity.

SouthAsiaforce: Your Diversity Is Your Greatest Strength

Explore the immigrant journey with Tech Leader Prith Banerjee- EVP and CTO of Schneider Electric. Join us to learn how to leverage your diversity and unique perspective to thrive in today’s fast-paced tech environment.

How Can You Add $12 Trillion to the Global Economy?

According to studies from McKinsey, empowerment of women can add 11-15% to the current global GDP (~77.83 trillion). Learn from our customers who have succeeded by increasing equality and diversity across geographies and socio-economic conditions and hear about the impact they?ve experienced in their businesses. You?ll leave equipped with best practices to enable your employees, customers and partners take action.

Wait, There’s More!

Looking for more sessions led by movers and shakers in our Salesforce Ohana? Consider adding these to your agenda, too:

Get the latest Salesforce Developer blog posts and podcast episodes via Slack or RSS.

Add to Slack Subscribe to RSS