November Book Club
The November Open Twin Cities Book Club will be co-hosted by the University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs
Civic tech isn’t just about coding and designing. There are a lot of great books and articles out there that address society, culture, technology, discrimination, economics, and all those other things we care about. So lets read and talk about some of them.
The United States has a long, complicated, and at times ugly relationship with race. Despite the great steps forward our nation has taken since its founding, recent events and research shows that racial divisions and biases still mar our national identity and civic institutions. In the 21st century, these divisions are appearing in the technology that defines much of our lives, including via the Digital Divide between those with skilled, stable access to technology and those without.
In our efforts of bridging the Digital Divide, we view digital literacy and access as a key tool in helping people use technology to gain social, civic, educational and economic opportunities. As we do this work, we also need to be aware of the systemic and institutional barriers that communities of color face. In November, we’re excited to welcome Adja Gildersleve, Digital Equity Specialist with the City of Minneapolis-IT Department. Adja will lead the OTC Book Club through a workshop in which we will discuss the elephant in the room and generate ideas to close disparity gaps in the Twin Cities.
In preparation for this workshop Adja has suggested the following readings:
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander - Chapters 1 & 3
- Color Blind by Tim Wise - Chapter 1
As usual, food will be provided.
Want to help organize future book clubs? Let us know at contact@opentwincities.org
Got ideas of what to read for future book club meetings? Add them to https://workflowy.com/shared/7c2f4fb4-41d4-d38d-55c7-ec631e6d0436/ .
Update
Adja has provided a link to the Prezi she used during the November Book Club. Click here to see her Prezi on Systems of Inequity.