Raechel Walker, Olivia Dias, Matt Taylor, and Cynthia Breazeal, “Alleviating the Danger Of A Single Story Through Liberatory Computing Education,” in Proceedings of the 2024 RESPECT Annual Conference (RESPECT 2024), Atlanta, GA, USA. ACM, New York, NY, USA

Abstract

Computing curricula tend to inadvertently perpetuate a damaging singular narrative about African American communities. Two data activism programs were implemented, with a qualitative analysis tracking desire-based research integration into final student projects. In the second program, projects shifted to collaboration with community organizers, increasing the inclusion of desire-based research. Integrating community researchers into the technical curriculum empowers students to infuse data science projects with personal narratives, breaking away from the conventional singular narrative. Liberatory computing enables students to express a nuanced understanding of their experiences. These projects equip students with advanced data activism skills for active contributions to policymaking processes.