Beyond diversity: Justice in open communities

Diversity has long been a goal for open projects, but too often we’ve been unsuccessful in building diverse communities. Maybe we’ve been aiming for the wrong thing.

What if we decided to move beyond diversity and work towards a digital world grounded in justice and equity? What could that look like and why haven’t our previous efforts brought about the kind of internet so many of us want — one that enhances our lives and supports our communities?

Join Tohatoha as we gather to hear from Christina Dunbar-Hester, Shamika Goddard, and Heeni Hoterene about where open communities have missed the mark and how they are studying and working to build a digital future we can all support – a future where no one is disposable and where self-determination, solidarity, and hope for a better world guide our technology choices and our communities.

Panelists

Christina Dunbar-Hester is the author of Hacking Diversity: The Politics of Inclusion in Open Technology Cultures (Princeton U Press, 2020) and Low Power to the People: Pirates, Protest, and Politics in FM Radio Activism (MIT Press, 2014). She is a faculty member at USC Annenberg, and she holds a PhD in Science & Technology Studies from Cornell University, USA. Her writing and research centers on the politics of technology in culture, especially media and tech activisms, infrastructures, and eco-technological sites.

Shamika Goddard is a person who is passionate about people and technology! She was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, USA and is the oldest of four children. After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in African and African-American studies, she served a year with AmeriCorps in New York City. She went on to study technology and ethics by developing techno-womanism at Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York for her Master of Divinity. While at Union, she also established herself as a Tech Chaplain. She currently attends CU Boulder as a doctoral student in their Information Science department and is studying technology, ethics, and social justice issues.

Heeni Hoterene is a game-changing environmentalist and mokopuna o te Tiriti o Waitangi. She loves to cook and is an organic gardener, maramataka guru, international slow food representative, off-grid rammed earth whare uku eco builder and mama of four. Fluent in Te Reo Maaori, a follower of traditional medicine and designer of alternative Curriculum. Heeni is the wahine pioneer of maramataka, her research into the influence of the maramataka on human behavior has provided a pioneer model for the 4000 practitioners she has trained in maramataka planning. Heeni is recognized as an expert communicator at translating traditional knowledge into modern-day living practices.

This online event will be run via a Zoom webinar. Login details will be emailed to you ahead of the event, after registration is complete.

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