Critical Race Theory Meets Technological Innovation: The Next Frontier

• In Event: Crossing Boundaries and Blending Methodologies: Innovations in Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies

Abstract

The authors of this paper argue that technological innovation is transforming the flow of information, the fluidity of social action, and is giving birth to new forms of bottom up innovation that are capable of expanding and exploding old theories of action research and critical race theory because ‘smart mobs’, ‘street knowledge’, and ‘social movements’ cannot be neutralized by powerful structural forces in the same old ways. Our goal in this paper is to develop the concept of YPAR 2.0 in which new technologies make local knowledge accessible within and outside of government by creating two-way feedback loops and data visualizations between neighborhoods and cities so that they co-produce policies that help secure shared benefits.  By integrating community-generated data with predictive analytics cities and community leaders are empowered with forward looking knowledge that can track equity indicators, identify hot spots and cool spots for equitable development, and predict future trajectories for vulnerable populations. Specifically, we document how Streetwyze—a mobile, mapping and SMS platform coupled with ‘ground-truthing’ – an approach in which community members work with researchers to collect and verify ‘public’ data–– enable community groups and youth serving organizations to tackle issues like health inequality, environmental justice, and eco-apartheid in low income communities and communities of color. We provide an overview of how the YPAR 2.0 Model was developed along with recommendations and implications for future critical race research and collaborations between communities, cities, residents, and youth serving organizations interested in using asset-based approaches to community development that challenge dominant ideologies and visualize intersectionalities of race and resistance.

Authors

• A.A. Akom, San Francisco State University

• Aekta Shah, Institute for Sustainable Economic, Educ, & Env. Design

• Tessa Cruz