Uber: Asian Heritage

Aesthetics and ethics, can I get an “amen”?

My visit to Uber HQ was for a purpose near to my heart - intersectionality! Uber invited three

other powerful women and me, all of diverse backgrounds, to explore and extend the discussion

of cultural awareness through our Asian heritages. It also didn’t hurt that their office is absolutely

breathtaking as well.

Uber cares so much about not only bettering the experiences of their customers, but also

intrinsically building up their employees from within. They have multiple ERGs (Employee

Resource Groups) for all walks of life - Latinx, Black/African American, LGBTQ+, and more. I

got to meet with some members of Uber’s Asian Heritage ERG. Even within our Asian Heritage

group, I saw intersectionality on both the team's side and the influencer's side. Time and time

again, I find myself disappointed in being the token POC (being a light-skinned AKA yellow

Asian is "safe" OR having a group of Asians on a project be ALL East Asian. Asians are not a

monolith. We come in all colors, and the default Asian that comes to mind shouldn't be an East

Asian all the time! I was so pleased to find that the team was made of up a multitude of

backgrounds, and that the influencers were made up on South Asians, a Southeast Asian, and

an East Asian (me!).

Uber and Asian Heritage’s dedication to mentorship and growth through their employee

resource groups is an example for all corporate environments. They frequently hold company-

wide activations to educate everyone about the things that make us so beautifully unique - the

Asian Heritage ERG even had one of their South Asian mothers come in and teach the chefs

how to make her recipes for lunch! It’s small (but huge!) things like this that can make people

feel fully supported and valued. Corporations, especially tech companies, can seem like they

are only made for select groups. Asian Heritage’s mission to make sure that all Asians feel

welcome and empowered to thrive within the company is so inspiring.

After spending the day getting to know the Asian Heritage ERG, we closed with laughter and a

very Asian refreshment: boba! We soaked in each other’s stories and connected over our

individuality, which makes for a pretty unforgettable venture.

It’s so thrilling to see a company like Uber taking the initiative to empower their partners to

embrace their uniqueness. Thank you Uber for sharing this marvelously introspective day with

me!

Check out Uber's Asian Heritage Employee Resource Group HERE.