Technologist Mary Hodder discussed yesterday on the blog TechCrunch the ethical issues related to the Amazon ‘glitch’ that removed the rankings of gay content made me think about analogies between the technical causes of the glitch and how unconscious bias can fuel structural racism. Background on the Amazon ‘glitch’ issue from Wikipedia (edited): Users onContinue reading “How the Amazon ‘Glitch’ Relates to Structural Discrimination and Racism”
Category Archives: Race Consciousness
Calif. Appellate Court Upholds Promoting Diversity in Schools
Yesterday marked an important victory for advocates of school diversity and equal opportunity. A California Court of Appeals ruled that Berkeley Unified School District’s policy of taking neighborhood demographics into account when making school assignments is not discriminatory as alleged by challengers. The Court concluded that the District’s plan “does not show partiality, prejudice orContinue reading “Calif. Appellate Court Upholds Promoting Diversity in Schools”
Calif. Transportation Dept. to Reinstate Race-Conscious Contract Goals
The Coalition for Economic Equity (CEE) on Friday announced that after a nearly three-year hiatus, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is poised to reinstate race-conscious goals for federally funded transportation contracts in California. CEE is an umbrella coalition of associations serving diverse minority- and women-owned businesses that was first formed in 1982 in responseContinue reading “Calif. Transportation Dept. to Reinstate Race-Conscious Contract Goals”