Ten years ago, I witnessed Jesse Jackson challenge major tech companies over their predominantly white and male workforces.

On February 17, 2026, the world lost Reverend Jesse Jackson at the age of 84. He is a figure best known for marching with Martin Luther King Jr., being present after King’s assassination, conducting historic presidential runs, and inspiring leaders across generations, such as Barack Obama.

However, one of his most significant legacies developed away from churches and polling places. It emerged within the boardrooms of technology companies and throughout Silicon Valley. Reverend Jackson played a crucial role in demanding accountability from Silicon Valley and major tech corporations, advocating for them to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Long before “DEI” became a controversial term or, prior to that, a corporate catchphrase, Reverend Jackson grasped a fundamental truth: technology would define society’s future, and if the creators of that future were not diverse, inequality would be built into daily existence. He recognized that the tech sector was a largely white and male industry that often overlooked the millions of people its products would impact.

In 2014, just after college in my first role at a tech PR firm, I was fortunate to collaborate with Reverend Jackson and his Rainbow PUSH Coalition to generate PR and media attention for an initiative that would transform Silicon Valley. Back then, the tech world constantly talked about changing the globe but would not reveal who was constructing it. There were no diversity reports, demographic transparency, or systems of accountability. Jackson instantly identified this contradiction.

He appeared at shareholder meetings for companies like Google and Facebook, openly pressing executives to disclose their workforce composition. In a CNBC interview, he stated:

“These very visible companies, the fastest-growing industry in America and in the world today, have exclusive patterns relative to boards and C-suites and employment and IPOs. We think these companies should be vertically, horizontally reflective of their consumer base.”

At the time, this demand was seen as radical. Yet in 2014, it succeeded in making Silicon Valley uneasy. That was precisely the intention.

That year, Reverend Jackson also addressed the Grace Hopper Celebration, founded by Anita Borg, where I managed PR and communications. At that event, the industry heard an unfamiliar message: diversity was not philanthropy or a peripheral benefit. It was essential infrastructure.

During his talk, Jackson contended that technology is not impartial. Algorithms determine opportunity. Platforms influence public debate. Hiring practices affect wealth allocation. He knew that if systems used by billions were built solely by white men, prejudice would be amplified worldwide.

Not long after, an unprecedented shift occurred. Major tech firms, including Google and Meta (formerly Facebook), began releasing their diversity data, sparking essential internal actions and dialogues across Silicon Valley.

The revealed statistics were striking, showing workforces that were overwhelmingly white and male. However, this transparency prompted change. Companies launched bias training, broadened their recruitment channels, and started hiring more women, Black, and Brown technologists. The industry did not transform instantly, but the silence was broken, and a ripple effect commenced.

Years later, during the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, the tech sector vowed billions for racial equity programs. In retrospect, many of these pledges were performative. Still, it is undeniable that Black tech founders secured more venture capital during this period. New Black-led venture capital firms were established. Accelerators focused on Black and underrepresented entrepreneurs appeared. Funding and prospects began reaching Black communities at an unprecedented scale. I am convinced this was only feasible because Reverend Jackson had already established the groundwork. He was the one who first recast diversity not as a moral obligation but as a commercial imperative that grows markets, enhances products, and deepens user trust.

Therefore, when tech companies faced public scrutiny in 2020, they already possessed a blueprint for response. The framework for accountability was in place because he constructed it.

Working alongside Reverend Jackson on advocacy reshaped my career trajectory in ways I did not foresee.

Early in my career, I was frequently the sole Black employee at tech PR agencies. Almost all clients were white, hailing from comparable educational and social circles—elite schools, closed networks, and a culture of exclusivity often masked as meritocracy.

Jackson, together with my first boss, urged me to build what was missing: a Black-owned tech PR agency dedicated to amplifying the stories of neglected innovators. Today, that vision is real. I operate New York City’s first and only such agency, representing tech founders, startups, and investors who would traditionally have been ignored by mainstream tech media.

In 2026, diversity initiatives at tech firms and across corporate America are experiencing setbacks. Budgets are being cut. Programs are being labeled optional. Numerous companies are silently backing away from diversity promises made only a few years prior.

This is exactly the scenario Reverend Jackson cautioned against.

He framed diversity as a competitive edge, not a political project. Data consistently demonstrates that companies with inclusive teams exceed their competitors, keep employees longer, and foster greater customer loyalty. Diversity enhances product quality because the actual user base is diverse. He comprehended a concept many businesses still find difficult: technology molds society, whether companies plan for it or not. Thus, responsibility is inescapable.

Reverend Jackson did not demonstrate against technology; instead, he insisted on helping to guide its development. He compelled an industry that celebrates innovation to innovate in the social realm as well.

Today, despite significant resistance linked to the current political climate, diversity reports, inclusive hiring practices, and equity programs do persist at major technology companies. It is vital that we uphold Reverend Jackson’s legacy of sustained accountability. The future remains under construction, and as Reverend Jesse Jackson reminded Silicon Valley, it must be built by everyone, for everyone.