#BlackInDataWeek 2020

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:

  1. Providing community and a support system for Black people in data across the Black diaspora.
  2. Encouraging growth in our professional and academic learning paths.
  3. 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

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.”

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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.