Wednesday, May 5, 12noon-1:15pm, this on-line event requires advance registration

“The Color of Technology,” featuring Dr. Ruha Benjamin (Professor of African American Studies, Princeton University), is the third event in a series of collaborative events between CEHV [OSU Center for Ethics and Human Values] and the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) on racial justice. Previous events in the series included “The Color of Law” and “The Color of Health.” “The Color of Technology” is also co-sponsored by The Ohio State University Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI).

The conversation with Professor Benjamin will be moderated by Dr. Ayanna Howard, Dean of the College of Engineering, The Ohio State University.

Abstract

From everyday apps to complex algorithms, technology has the potential to hide, speed, and deepen discrimination, while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to racist practices of a previous era. In this talk, Ruha Benjamin presents the concept of the “New Jim Code” to explore a range of discriminatory designs that encode inequity: by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies, by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions, or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. This presentation takes us into the world of biased bots, altruistic algorithms, and their many entanglements, and provides conceptual tools to decode tech promises with historical and sociological insight. She will also consider how race itself is a tool designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice and discuss how technology is and can be used toward liberatory ends. In doing so, Ruha challenges us to question not only the technologies that we are sold, but also the ones we manufacture ourselves.

RSVP for this event by using this link.

Hosted by OSU Center for Ethics and Human Values [CEHV].