Representation
We’re committed to increasing representation of employees from historically underrepresented backgrounds at every level of our organization. To do so, we focus on hiring, retention, growth, development, and promotion.
To find the best talent and support our search for diverse talent, we partner with organizations and academic institutions linked to underrepresented communities.
In the U.S., these organizations include historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, women’s colleges, and tribal colleges.
Students visit Amazon’s campus for a range of programs and career enrichment experiences, such as our Represent the Future Summit. We also partner with organizations like Grace Hopper Celebration, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Consortium Fellows, AfroTech, AnitaB.Org, Lesbians Who Tech, Girls in Tech, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and others.
We have made year-over-year progress, and we will continue to strive for better representation across our company.
Through AWS education programs, we announced a collaborative effort with Howard University to equip students with competitive technical skills, provide educators with professional development opportunities, and drive entrepreneurship at the university.
We’ve also launched statewide training and education initiatives, which are typically anchored by community colleges. Collaboration with community colleges helps AWS reach diverse populations of minority, underrepresented, and veteran populations, as well as urban and rural communities.
Through our $150 million commitment, we will provide access to capital, business guidance, growth, and marketing support for current and aspiring Black small business owners selling in Amazon’s store to grow their businesses.
We’re proud to have created this initiative with our Black Employee Network affinity group and strategic partners, including the Minority Business Development Agency and the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., which have deep experience in supporting Black businesses.
We’re committed to promoting people in our communities who come from historically underrepresented communities.
This includes our continued commitment to the Amazon Literary Partnership (ALP)—a grant program founded in 2009 that funds organizations championing diverse, marginalized, and underrepresented authors and storytellers.
In 2021, ALP awarded 80 grants totaling more than $1 million to organizations across the country that support writers and underrepresented voices.
Our work at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop centers the safeguarding and cultivation of our community’s imaginations, and we are incredibly grateful to the Amazon Literary Partnership for their continued support that makes this critically necessary work possible.
