Exploring the Data on Dual Pandemics: How Racism and COVID-19 Have Impacted the Computing Community

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold, reports of the impact on lives, public and private industry, and education systems began to emerge. Almost simultaneously, the long-standing pandemic of racism in the U.S. was called to the forefront. The policies, structures, and members of the computing community are not immune from the impacts of these dual pandemics. While we do not yet know the long-term effects on the computing community, several efforts have emerged to advance our understanding through data collection and analysis. This panel present preliminary findings from surveys conducted by multiple organizations that explore the impact of these dual pandemics on conditions of work and education in the computing community, with a focus on the impacts on populations that have been historically underrepresented in computing. The panel invites discussion about promising (and not-so-promising) practices that have emerged in response to these pandemics and next steps to support the computing community.