It’s a question Black women everywhere are tired of asking, but what does diversity and inclusion actually mean in modern workplaces? The energy from Summer 2020 has tangibly shifted, as industries that earnestly promised to “do better” have grown lethargic in their DEI efforts. But at Google it seems to be a question the $1.26 trillion company has taken seriously for a while now.

Way ahead of the diversity curve, the company has been publishing an annual diversity report since 2014. A year after joining Google in 2017, HR executive Melonie Parker moved from her role as Director of People Operations to Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Now, as Google’s Chief Diversity Officer, Melonie is one of the few Black women execs visible in the tech, working to ensure that Google’s workforce is representative of the world the company hopes to connect. Black Ballad grabbed a few moments with Melonie during the YouTube Black Gala – a joyous celebration of some of the platform’s most exciting Black content creators – to ask what diversity really means to accompany the size of the Internet giant.