Data for Black Lives

Last updated
Data for Black Lives
NicknameD4BL
FormationNovember 2017
Founder Yeshimabeit Milner,
Lucas Mason-Brown
HeadquartersCambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Website d4bl.org
Formerly called
Data 4 Black Lives

Data for Black Lives (D4BL) is an American non-profit organization with the mission of using data science to create concrete and measurable change in the lives of black people. [1] [2] Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Data for Black Lives was founded by Yeshimabeit Milner and Lucas Mason-Brown. [3] [4] [5] [1] Milner attended Brown University; having encountered discrimination towards the black community, she organized a group of scientists to combat the mistreatment of black people within data algorithms. [1] [6]

Contents

History

D4BL began in November 2017 as statistical research project, and expanded into working with a team of people on data analysis. The formation of D4BL was initiated by Yeshimabeit Milner, who witnessed racial discrimination, watching her peers suffer from police brutality. [7]  Milner discovered through research that black children were getting suspended at a much higher rate than white children. [8]  After graduating from Brown University, Milner incorporated her passion for data science into social activism. [8]

D4BL has regional organization chapters, including a group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [9] Additionally there is a community of other organizations working towards the same goals, including Data and Society, Algorithmic Justice League, and the Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR). [10]

Between 2019 and 2021, D4BL was awarded a grant by the MacArthur Foundation for broad operating support. [11] [12]

See also

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References

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