✅ CTA: Civic Engagement
✅ CTA: Civic Engagement
Calls to action for accountability.
Efforts related to responsible tech will be posted here, as the most effective or scaled measures will involve government regulation.
Table of Contents
If you have any suggestions for resources on this matter, or would like to propose a correction, please leave a comment.
Cover photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash
Nothing Just About Juvie
Watch: TIME: The Kalief Browder Story about a 16-year old who spent three years at Rikers jail awaiting trial after being accused of stealing a backpack. He would then go on to die by suicide after his release. Make sure to follow up your viewing with checking out the Campaign to Close Rikers.
And while you are on Netflix, another documentary you might want to check out is 13th by Ava DuVernay for more historical context on mass incarceration.
Review: 70 Million podcast has a really great resource guide that helps you to understand jail reform efforts. There are also episode toolkits, and most relevant to this theme are: disrupting the foster care to jail pipeline and why policing our schools backfires.
Read: Recently published NPR piece “Youth with autism are more likely to be arrested. A Nevada judge wants to remedy that.”
Peacebuilding in Practice
Curated by Jamil Simon
Reflect: One of our podcast guests, social psychologist Peter Coleman, started something he called the Starts With Us challenge. Based on his research at Columbia University, the project is a once-a-day challenge for people to practice a bit of self-reflection when it comes to how they might be contributing to toxic polarization, especially in the United States. But I think a lot of the practices and insights he provides can also be applied to a broader commitment to media literacy for ourselves, especially when it comes to listening to news we may not agree with but can nonetheless still respect.
Engage: It also never hurts to write to your favorite media outlets and ask them to focus more on stories about reconciling differences, that promote dialogue among disparate groups, and that help people focus on our commonalities.
Building Civic Power
Curated by Jenna Spinelle
Listen: When the People Decide, a podcast about how everyday people are shaping democracy
Read: "Civic Power" by Hollie Russon Gilman and K. Sabeel Rahman. The book outlines the framework for creating a more diverse and equitable democracy by increase citizen participation in government
Join: Citizen University, an organization that teaches people across the country how to be civic leaders in their communities
Watch: Citizen University founder Eric Liu's TED talk on how to revive your belief in democracy
Get out the vote or go home [to vote]
Curated by Sammy Kanter & Maddie Medved
Register: Register to vote if you’re not [and ask your friends if they’re registered too], here:
Check your voter registration status there too – it’s always important to check in and see that everything is up to date so there are no surprises on election day.
Resist A.I. hysteria, but educate yourself on ethical A.I.
Watch: Coded Bias, a documentary looking at bias in machine learning models. You can currently find the film on Netflix, or rent it (it’s worth it!).
Subscribe / Read: The Markup, an independent publication and accountability journalism outlet focused on technology.
I especially found the pieces about the lack of transparency behind government program algorithms and an investigation into algorithms deciding who gets a liver transplant, fascinating.
If you are even nerdier or have a computer / data science background, you might want to check out research by DAIR - Distributed AI Research Institute.
Follow: The public and policy discourse on A.I. needs to include people from different racial and gender identities. Thought leaders on ethical A.I., such as Timnit Gebru and Dr. Joy Buolamwini are great follows to start.
Join: The Algorithmic Justice League for some actions you—yes, regular non-STEM you and I!—can take to advocate for equitable and responsible A.I.
If applicable to your identity and career, or you want to be an ally, connect with Latinx in AI, Black in AI or Queer in AI.
We [should] care, A LOT
Advocate: Help get Paid Leave for ALL passed – “The The United States is 1 of only 6 remaining countries in the world with no guaranteed form of paid leave.”
Maybe you’ve seen a couple of celebs, such as Stephanie Beatriz of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, make a funny video called “Get Your Sh*t Together, Baby”? It was for the #PaidLeaveforALL campaign. Let’s legislate change!
Support: The National Domestic Workers Alliance, an organization advocating for the rights and economic security of care workers. You can hear / read more from executive director Ai-Jen Poo on “How to care for the people who take care of us.”
Read: Hilarity for Charity, an Alzheimer’s and caregiving advocacy organization founded by Seth and Laura Rogen, has a book club #HFCReads you can join. Follow their Instagram to stay up to date.
Gun violence is a public health issue.
Follow: Organizations such as Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action often have rallies and other events you can get involved with.
Learn: The Center for Gun Violence Solutions from the John Hopkins School of Public Health is a great resource for education and advocacy information.