At the start of the program we were all introduced to data activism. Using technology and data to interpret and solve social justice issues. Through this we learned about different data models, intro to python, interpreting data, and intersectionality.

After this short introduction (over the past 6 weeks) we’ve been researching the issues of school surveillance within the Greater Boston Community. We have been conducting research through qualitative and quantitative methods such as: interviews, surveys, and art visualizations. This survey has gained over 100 responses from teachers, students, administrators, guidance counselors etc. We’ve also garnered attention through the means of social media and sending out digital fliers. Our research team was able to connect with the Algorithimic Justice League to get this ball rolling.

Although AI is a useful tool for interpreting data, as members of the African-American community, we have learned that you should not rely on AI because we as researchers should rely on ourselves and the community that we research; it is our duty to reduce AI bias through the use of our own findings.