Yet corporate activism will amount to little if tech firms and their financiers do not change how they operate, says Sydney Sykes, co-founder of BLCK VC, a group on a mission to swell the ranks of black venture capitalists in America. Companies must make more of an effort to promote and retain minority employees. VC firms have to examine why they often reject pitches by minority entrepreneurs; a simple “just can’t get excited about this” is no longer enough. They should also broaden their professional networks beyond the usual lily-white crowd, argues Elliott Robinson of Bessemer Venture Partners, a big vc firm.

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然而如果科技公司和他们的出资方不改变经营方式，公司的积极性会是微不足道的，BLCK VC的联合创始人悉尼·赛克斯表示，BLCK VC是一个旨在扩大美国黑人风险投资家的队伍的组织。公司必须更加努力地提拔并留住少数族裔的员工。风险投资公司必须研究为什么他们会经常拒绝少数族裔的投资；一句简单的“就是对此不感兴趣”已经不够了。大型风险投资公司Bessemer Venture Partners的艾略特·罗宾逊认为，他们应该扩大自己的专业网络，不再只是常见的白人群体。

Since diversity, particularly on gender, became a hot topic in the tech industry a few years ago, progress has been slow. But Ms Sykes believes things will speed up now. Customers and employees want it. And the firms have started to twig that lofty statements and charity do not suffice. Facebook’s chief diversity officer, Maxine Williams, now reports directly to Sheryl Sandberg, the firm’s number two (though not to its boss, as some would like). At Reddit, a popular discussion website, a white co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, stepped down from the board to make way for a black replacement, Michael Seibel, boss of Y Combinator, a startup school. On June 17th Apple said it would replace its diversity chief.

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几年前，多样性，特别是性别多样性成为科技行业的热点话题，但其进展缓慢。但赛克斯认为现在情况会加快。顾客和员工都想要。而公司们开始意识到高调的声明和慈善是不够的。Facebook公司的首席多元化官马克西娜·威廉姆斯现在直接向公司的二号人物谢丽尔·桑德伯格汇报工作（尽管不像有些人想的那样，直接向老板汇报工作。）在一个流行的讨论网站Reddit上，一位名叫亚历克西斯·欧海宁的白人联合创始人从董事会辞职，为一位黑人替代者让路，这位黑人是赛博尔，初创学校Y Combinator的老板。6月17日，苹果公司宣布将更换其多元化主管。

Mr Robinson has long lamented the tech industry’s “diversity theatre”: grand statements followed by little action. But even he is somewhat hopeful. Thanks to smartphones, he says, whites can see for themselves how black people are treated— and want it to stop. He knows all too well: he has been forcibly restrained by police three times in his life, for no reason other than the colour of his skin. The last time was not far from University Avenue

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长期以来，罗宾逊一直为科技产业的“多元化戏剧”感到惋惜：宏大的声明，微小的行动。但他还是心存一点希望。他表示，多亏了智能手机，白人们可以亲眼看到黑人受到了怎样的对待——并希望停止这样的行为。他知道的太清楚了：他一生中三次被警察强行拘禁，除了他的肤色，没有其他理由。上一次拘禁就在离大学路不远的地方。

注释
1.amount to 等同，接近

The confessions were obtained by what amounts to torture.

这些供状是用近乎逼供的方式得来的。

2.speed up 加速

You notice that your breathing has speeded up a bit...

你注意到自己的呼吸加快了一些。

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