
In an internal Slack message sent to Girl Develop It (GDI) chapter leaders on Monday evening, the organization’s board announced that cofounder Vanessa Hurst had stepped down as board chair.
Hurst’s departure is part of the board’s response to an ongoing controversy around racism and a lack of inclusivity at the coding education nonprofit. Alongside the announcement, the organization shared a five-page document outlining a number of internal protocol changes and a pledge to add staffers to GDI headquarters.
“There have clearly been some misses with how GDI has handled issues regarding race and racism,” read the statement, signed by boardmembers Brenda Jin, Erica Baker and Janelle Jolley. “As Board members, we are ultimately responsible for how everyone is treated in the GDI community, and in that capacity, we would like to issue a sincere apology to anyone who was harmed or hurt by racism they experienced while involved with Girl Develop It.”
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