March 1: New Initiative to Highlight Black Women in Technology

New Initiative to Highlight Black Women in Technology

The Spelman College Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, in partnership with the Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative, will launch a year-long lecture series focused on highlighting the unique lens Black women bring to the development and utilization of technology in society.

"The Future is Intersectional: Black Women Interrogating Technology," will focus on the vast contributions Black women make to advancements in technology, and address the challenges many face in a field where they are both underrepresented and undervalued.

The series kicks-off at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 4, with an inaugural lecture delivered by Ruha Benjamin, Ph.D., C'2001, professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, and founder of the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab, which brings together students, educators, activists and artist to rethink and retool data for justice.

During her presentation "The New Jim Code? Reimagining the Default Settings of Technology and Society," Dr. Benjamin will explore a range of discriminatory designs that encode inequity, which she terms the "New Jim Code."

To register for the event or, for more information visit The Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM on Spelman.edu.

Spelman’s Social Justice Scholars Receive Additional Funding for Reparations Project

Through a collaboration between the Reparations Project and Spelman’s Social Justice Program, a new cohort of Quarterman & Keller Social Justice Scholars will be working on research projects focused on land ownership and racial injustice tied to America’s legacy of slavery.

The Quarterman-Keller Scholars Program is the first educational initiative established by the Reparations Project, a nonprofit managed by the descendants of an enslaved coastal Georgia family and the descendants of their enslavers.

Spelman’s Social Justice Scholars are also supported by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the University of Michigan Center for Social Solutions to further interrogate the varied ways community narratives can inform policies addressing reparations.

"We have always supported anti-racist work and community transformation toward a more just and equitable society," said Cynthia Neal Spence, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology and director of Spelman’s Social Justice Fellows Program. "It will be very exciting to work with fellows representing the Atlanta University Center as we commit to social justice advocacy and learn more about the work of scholars and activists engaged with reparations agendas."

WAMC’s Academic Minute Features Spelman Faculty for Entire Week

Each day this week a different member of the Spelman faculty will be featured on Academic Minute, a production of WAMC National

The Academic Minute features researchers from colleges and universities around the globe, sharing their groundbreaking research and explaining how it helps us better understand the world around us.

Angelino Viceisza, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, starts the week with a look into the shark tank to find out whether the media influences the startup economy.

Other featured faculty include Viveka Brown, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics; Karen Brakke, Ph.D., professor of psychology; Myra Greene, professor of photography and chair of the Department of Art & Visual Culture; and Brandi Brimmer, Ph.D., C’95, associate professor of history.

To listen, visit Academic Minute.

Spelman Professor and Department Chair to Direct New OWN Drama

Ayoka Chenzira, Ph.D., division chair for the arts and professor, is among the directors announced for a new OWN: Oprah Winfrey drama, "Delilah."

Starring Maahra Hill as a lawyer who left a demanding white-shoe law firm so she could make raising her kids her priority, Delilah returns to the profession to represent those often disenfranchised.

In 2018, Dr. Chenzira directed a season three episode of Ava DuVernay’s "Queen Sugar" for OWN for which she received a NAACP Image Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series.

Dr. Chenzira has also directed a season four episode of "Greenleaf" for OWN, back-to-back episodes of "Trinkets" for Netflix and the season four finale of "Queen Sugar."

Produced by Warner Bros. Television and Harpo Films, "Delilah" will make its debut March 2021.

National Science and Technology Medals Foundation Discussion Moderated by Alumna

Britni Wilcher, C’2008, will moderate an upcoming livestream discussion sponsored by the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation.

Science Unscripted, the first Unscripted for NSTMF for 2021, will take place Thursday, March 4, 2021, at 5:30 p.m., EST., and feature Fanta Traore, co-founder of The Sadie Collective, the first and only organization dedicated to empowering and equipping Black women in the pipeline and pathway of economics.

Wilcher is an applied microeconomist with interests in labor, health and gender economics. Her research focuses on the economics of health decision making and its implications for labor markets.