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Addressing Tech’s Shortcomings in Creating Equity for Black People

Addressing Tech’s Shortcomings in Creating Equity for Black People

Conference / Webinar

Many consider technology to be the “great equalizer”, but it’s evident that black people are not benefiting at the same rates as others. In this talk, Jacqueline Gibson discusses how the forces that limit black people’s ability to navigate the physical also prevent us from exerting agency via the digital. Jacqueline explores the ways that anti-blackness is replicated in technology, the discrepancies faced by black communities due to the digital divide, and the changes required for us to have a more equitable future. Because we can never fully benefit if technology continues to be made for us, without us.

Jacqueline Gibson, Software Engineer focusing on accessibility at Microsoft, is a digital equity advocate & software engineer building change from the code up. She’s interested in leveraging technology for social good, particularly identifying ways in which current technology maintains social inequities and working to eliminate these biases. She strives to understand what is necessary to create systems that everyone, regardless of ability, can use with ease.

She graduated with dual degrees in Computer Science and African & African Diaspora Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She’s currently developing tools to create accessible applications for Android, Windows, and web as part of Microsoft’s Accessibility Insights team.

Juneteenth Conference is a free virtual tech conference made for and featuring Black people in Technology. The conference celebrates Black Excellence and promotes community for Black people who are severely underrepresented, overlooked, and underutilized in the tech industry.

Key Takeaways

1. Technical creators should reframe their perspectives

Consider how the reliance on predictive analysis contributes to Black disenfranchisement, what would equitable and fair predictive algorithms look like and what opportunities do we have to use tech to create safety and more sustainable communities.

2. Ensure companies address and fix the issues

Instead of ignoring flaws in data systems, listen to Black voices and concerns and employ permanent fixes, not quick workarounds.

3. Intentionally carve space

Go beyond just having black individuals within companies or using black people in marketing. Tokenism and quick fixes won’t solve the lack of equity rampant in technology.

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COPYRIGHT 2021 CASSANDRA BOLER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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