The PostgreSQL Europe Diversity Task Force
Slides and transcript from my 5 minute lightning talk about the PostgreSQL Europe Diversity Task Force at FOSDEM PGDay 2025.
This was a tough one to fit into 5 minutes, but I'm pleased with how much I managed to share.
Did you know that PGEU now has a Diversity Task Force?
- but Why?
- Who’s working on it?
- What’s being done?
- and How can you get involved?
First, briefly, what is diversity?
In a nutshell: variety.
Especially
The inclusion of people of different races, cultures etc. in a group.
Diversity is about more than gender or skin colour, although those are important.
it’s also about:
- your work experience,
- how and where you grew up,
- the language you speak,
- and much, much more.
There are so many attributes that bring variety to our community, and make each of us unique.
Why do we have a diversity task force?
It’s no secret that there are challenges in terms of diversity across the entire tech industry, and Postgres is no exception.
But diversity has been shown to be good for everyone.
We know that diverse people bring unique skills and viewpoints, making the Postgres project better for all of us.
It’s important that everyone feels welcomed, represented, and valued within our community, and there are things that all of us can do better to make that a reality.
For example, take a look around you.
If most of the people around you look a lot like you,
try to imagine how it might feel to be one of the people who doesn’t look a lot like you.
When the team organising an event looks like this [picture on slide]
and when the speaker lineup looks like this [picture on slide]
it’s easy to understand why not everyone feels represented or included.
It’s also easy to see how we might unconsciously be giving more opportunities to people like us, and continually getting feedback that supports our existing biases.
Note, this is not a criticism of the folks that organise conferences like this one.
These are volunteers who generously give up their free time and energy to put on events for the benefit of the Postgres community, and I’m extremely grateful for the work they do.
The idea is to help organisation teams, providing them with the tools, guidelines, and other resources they need.
It’s about reaching out to, and welcoming in new people, and bringing more seats to the table,
and certainly not about shutting out any of the amazing people who are already here.
Who’s working on this?
Let me introduce the PGEU Diversity Committee that’s doing the initial work to put in place our diversity initiatives.
I’m chairing the committee.
Stacey Haysler has joined us from PgUS as an advisor.
Alongside us we have...
and Flavio Gurgel.
But, of course, diversity and inclusion can’t just be implemented by a committee or by a task force.
Everyone in the community has a role to play.
You obviously don’t need our permission or blessing to work on this, but we’d love to hear what you’re doing and we’re here to help if you want us to.
What have we done so far, and what are our plans?
As with any project, we need SMART goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
As data people, we know we need stats to show where we’re starting from and what the issues are, and to measure progress.
So we’re working on collecting the information that will let us do that.
We’ve also done a lot of behind-the-scenes research, planning and setting up infrastructure.
And, as well as creating shiny stickers (available at the regdesk), we’ve also:
- Agreed a budget with the PGEU board.
- Set up the first Diversity Celebration Board at PGConf.EU 2024.
- Distributed tickets for various conferences.
- Updated and shared guidelines for CfP Committees.
Detailed plans for the future will depend on the stats that we gather, on feedback and requests from the community, and on volunteers willing to help,
but we already have plans for:
- Scholarships for conference attendance.
- Diversity training.
- Mentorship and support for new speakers.
We’re also joining forces with, and learning from, other groups within the Postgres Community and beyond, including the PgUS Diversity Committee and Postgres Women India.
If you’re now wondering “How can I help?”
You can
- Email us your ideas, comments and questions at diversity(at)postgresql.eu.
- Join our Telegram group (email to ask for an invite).
- Consider becoming a PGEU member.
- Spread the word about the diversity task force.
There are also lots of simple, everyday things you can do, such as:
- Be conscious of using inclusive language.
- Learn about, and challenge your own .
- Listen to what underrepresented folks have to say,
and amplify their voices. - Like and share posts that promote diversity and inclusion
Find out more about the task force and the committee on the PGEU website and follow our LinkedIn page to stay up to date
Thank you!