Previously on BlackLight, we’ve written about how modern technologies can impact people of color, particularly Black people, in ways that often serve to further oppress and/or marginalize them. However, a grassroots coalition called Data for Black Lives (D4BL) has been working to change that. Founded in 2017 by Yeshimabeit Milner,

“Data for Black Lives is a group of activists, organizers, and mathematicians committed to the mission of using data science to create concrete and measurable change in the lives of Black people.” 

Just over a month ago, D4BL held its second annual conference, and kindly made recordings of their thought-provoking talks and discussions available on Youtube. Below, we list these videos in the order of the meeting agenda for easy reference, and provide links to the speakers’ Twitter (where available) or other relevant resources. You can also stay up to date by signing up at D4BL, or follow @Data4BlackLives on Twitter.

Yeshimabeit Milner, D4BL Founder & Executive Director
Keynote Address: Meredith Broussard

 

We are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For: Organizing for Algorithmic Accountability
Moderator: Yeshimabeit Milner
Panelists: Teresa Hodge, Joy Buolamwini, Rashida Richardson, Tamika Lewis

 

Abolition in the Age of Big Data
Moderator: Kade Crockford
Panelists: Janae Bonsu, Marbre Stahly Butts, Laura Hanna, Laura Moy

 

Pain, Place, and Race
Moderator: Michelle Morse
Panelists: Nneka Tapia, Kindra Montgomery-Block, J. Phillip Thompson, Talila ‘TL’ Lewis

 

“The seas are rising but so are the people”: Data, Disaster & Collective Power
Moderator: Colette Pichon Battle
Panelists: Valencia Gunder, Denice Ross, Lisa Rice, Bina Venkataraman

 

Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Education Justice and Mathematics
Moderator: Jamelle Watson-Daniels
Panelists: Jitu Brown, Cliff Freeman, Nicole M. Joseph, Tarik Ward

 

Black People vs Robots: Reparations and Workers Rights in the Age of Automation
Moderator: Jessica Fulton
Panelists: Nicol Turner-Lee, Erica Smiley, Anne Price, Katrinell Davis

 

We Will Be Counted: the 2020 Census
Moderator: Vann Newkirk
Panelists: Maria Smith Dautruche, Angela Manso, Terri Ann Lowenthal