November Book Club, Viral Justice by Dr. Ruha Benjamin

by Marie K. Heath

It’s no secret that Dr. Ruha Benjamin’s scholarship has deeply influenced our work here at Civics of Technology. Her research on racial justice and encoded bias shaped our thinking on the impact of technology in society and schools. It grounds the first part of our project's core statement that technology is not neutral. Dr. Benjamin’s newest book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want, helps to answer the last part of the Civics of Technology project’s aim, determining how we can advance technology education for just futures. We've been anticipating the release of Dr. Benjamin’s latest book and are delighted to feature it for our November Book Club on November 17th at 8:00 p.m. EST!

This month’s book club hosts, Drs. José Ramón Lizárraga and Tiera Chantè Tanksley, bring their own extensive scholarship to the conversation. Dr. Lizárraga researches new media, literacies, social justice, and the power of imagining and making for new social futures. Dr. Tanksley examines the intersectional impacts of race, gender, class and age on the experiences of Black girls in media, technology and education. We hope that you will join them in discussing Dr. Benjamin’s book and considering how we can grow the world we want.

There is still time to register and read before November 17th. If you prefer, you can listen to the book. If you don’t have time to read the entire book, you can read a powerful excerpt at WIRED. And please feel free to join even if you aren’t finished reading! 

No matter how far you are in the book, come dream and work with us during the November Book Club. We hope that the book club deepens our community of critical ed tech educators and ignites ideas for teaching and social action. If you are inspired to draft a blog post, create a lesson or resource, or engage in any other action toward a more just world, please share it with us!

See you on November 17th!