This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://education.rstudio.com/blog/2020/11/blackindataweek
Today marks the first day of a week-long celebration called #BlackinDataWeek . Its aim is to amplify Black voices in #informatics , #datascience , and #coding around the world. The goals are to:
- Providing community and a support system for Black people in data across the Black diaspora.
- Encouraging growth in our professional and academic learning paths.
- Elevating the voices and experiences of Black people working in data fields.
Read on to find out more about what events are planned, and how you can engage with #BlackinDataWeek .
Events
| DATE | HASHTAG | PURPOSE |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-11-16 | #BlackInDataRollCall | Giving Black people in data a space to introduce themselves and their work. Introducing and valuing intersecting parts of their identities. We welcome contributions from a wide spectrum of Data Fields including but not limited to Informatics, Technology, Data Science, Coding, Social Science and Data Analytics. |
| 2020-11-17 | #BlackInDataJourney | Further fostering community for Black people in data, by encouraging them to share their varied journeys in data. |
| 2020-11-18 | #BlackInDataSkills | Discussing the skills Black people in data have learned, communal sharing of resources and advice for skills development. |
| 2020-11-19 | #BlackInDataViz | Creating space for Black people in data to share their work in the form of favourite data visualisation images. |
| 2020-11-20 | #BlackInDataJustice | Hosting forums for learning and discussion of bias in the data field (and possible paths to address biases in data). |
| 2020-11-21 | #BlackInDataMentorship | Join us for career development and mentorship events! |
How to engage in #BlackInDataWeek
Day 1, Monday: #BlackInDataRollCall
- If you identify as Black, join in the roll call today by introducing yourself and sharing what you do in data. Include the hashtag
#BlackInDataRollCalland tag@BlkInData. - If you do not, use today to amplify the voices in the
#BlackInDataRollCallhashtag by following and retweeting! - If you haven’t already, follow the
@WeAreRLadiesrotating curator account. This week, Markia Smith will take over (Nov 16-20th) and Damilola Alex will be taking over next week (Nov 23-27). - You can also follow the
@miR_communityaccount. MiR is a community for underrepresented minority users of R, founded by Dorris Scott and Danielle Smalls-Perkins.
Day 2, Tuesday: #BlackInDataJourney
There are three events on this day, check them out here. Note that there will not be a #TidyTuesday this week in order to create space and engage with the #BlackInDataViz hashtag on Twitter.
Day 3, Wednesday: #BlackInDataSkills
A great day filled with learning-oriented events, and don’t miss the 1-hour Introduction to R with Dr. A Nayena Blankson.
If you want to dive deeper into the tidyverse, the MiR Community recently hosted an hour-long introduction to the dplyr package by Daryn Ramsden. You can view the webinar on YouTube, and view his slides here ( source files here).
Day 4, Thursday: #BlackInDataViz
Again, several great events and talks, as well as a Black In Data Visualisation Challenge. The challenge, presented in collaboration with the Data Visualization Society, will “highlight data that shows Black people in a positive light.”
Day 5, Friday: #BlackInDataJustice
Webinars feature timely topics around algorithmic fairness and bias. The last event is a live viewing/tweeting of #CodedBias in honour of #BlackinDataJustice hosted by Anna Gifty, @itsafronomics , a researcher interested in data bias and algorithmic fairness.
You can access the screening here: https://www.saltlakefilmsociety.org/comingsoon/coded-bias
(Note: tickets are not free, but you can follow along with the live tweeting without watching.)
Day 6, Saturday: #BlackInDataMentorship
The final day is all about careers and mentorship. Read more about the events here.
To sign up for events, click here! To learn more about #BlackInDataWeek , please see their website, twitter account, and follow along via the #BlackInDataWeek hashtag.