The Power of Data
All of our histories, resources, information and data contain the power structures that exist in our world.
When engaging with all data, we want to think about the dominant social narratives at play and put this in context.
For example, let's think about the United States Census. Conclusions from census data inform federal funding for schools, hospitals, housing, highways, construction, and more! The 2020 census had very large undercounts of Black, Latino, and Native American individuals and communities. Additionally, the census survey does not list Middle East and North African as an option for the question on race. Consequently, funded does not mirror the wants, needs, and experiences of these individuals and communities.
Book Spotlight
These are some of the many books that discuss how data, statistics, and now the ever-present algorithms can reinforce social hierarchies and biases:
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Weapons of math destruction : how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy
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Location: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2016A former Wall Street quantitative analyst sounds an alarm on mathematical modeling, a pervasive new force in society that threatens to undermine democracy and widen inequality. -
Fatal Invention
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Location: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2011Roberts examines how the myth of biological concept of race-revived by purportedly cutting-edge science, race-specific drugs, genetic testing, and DNA databases-continues to undermine a just society and promote inequality. -
Invisible Women
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Location: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2019Because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this bias, in time, money, and often with their lives. -
Geographies of digital exclusion : data and inequality
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Location: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2022Who shapes our digital landscapes, and why are so many people excluded from them? -
Redlining culture : a data history of racial inequality and postwar fiction
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Location: Available OnlineISBN: 0231552319Publication Date: 2021Redlining Culture shows the importance of data and computational methods for understanding and challenging racial inequality.
