Welcome to the second issue of re:think magazine, created by NCWIT.

How many innovations never came into existence because the creators at the table did not reflect the rest of society? As a Black woman with more than 35 years in the tech field as a general manager and entrepreneur, I have seen the benefits of what happens when there is not only diversity of race and gender, but diversity of thought as well. It takes the creativity and problem-solving skills of people from all intersecting identities, including age, to make the most innovative and purposeful technology.

In the first issue of re:think, we dove into complexities around biased bots and altruistic algorithms, how technology can perpetuate systems built on stereotypes or challenge them. With this issue, we focus on age. We look at age through various lenses — how we define ageism, how age impacts creativity (or doesn’t), how teams diverse across age are better equipped to create technical solutions, and how we can bring generations together to learn from one another. By doing so, we re:examine age as a concept and expand the range of voices being heard.

As change leaders, it’s important that we foster inclusive cultures that celebrate our differences and welcome contributions of people from historically marginalized groups along the lines of race/ethnicity, class, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and many other identity categories that shape our day-to-day experiences both at work and in our personal lives.

Technology has the potential to liberate us, to allow us to live freer, more fulfilled lives as we confront the realities of aging. But, in order for this potential to be realized, we need to ensure that the teams creating new technologies reflect the full range of people who will be using them.

— Avis Yates Rivers, Technology Concepts Group Intl. (TCGI) CEO and NCWIT Board of Directors Member

Explore more articles like this at ncwit.org/rethink.