How did IBM's diversity and inclusion initiatives evolve over time?

IBM is a company that has been committed to diversity and inclusion for many years, and its initiatives have evolved over time to better address the needs of its employees and customers. In the 1950s, IBM was one of the first major corporations to hire African American employees, and it continued to be a leader in diversity hiring in subsequent decades.

In the 1990s, IBM began to focus more on inclusion as well as diversity, recognizing that simply hiring diverse employees was not enough. The company created a variety of programs to support employees from underrepresented groups, including mentoring, leadership development, and employee networks.

In 2013, IBM launched a new initiative called Reinventing Education, which focuses on increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The initiative includes partnerships with schools and community organizations to provide STEM education and mentoring to students.

More recently, IBM has focused on intersectionality, recognizing that individuals have multiple dimensions of diversity that can impact their experiences in the workplace. The company has also expanded its diversity and inclusion efforts beyond its own workforce to include its suppliers and customers.