The Center for Data and Bioinformation Services (CDABS) is the University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library hub for data and bioinformation learning, services, resources, and communication.

Next week (Feb 8-12) we will be celebrating Love Data Week and the official launch of CDABS. Check out our full schedule of events and sign up for a workshop or three!

This week, in honor of Black History Month, we would like to highlight a few of the great projects and organizations that are led by Black scholars and data scientists and that focus on issues of data and racial equity and justice.

The Algorithmic Justice League, founded by Poet of Code Joy Buolamwini (@jovialjoy), aims “to raise public awareness about the impacts of AI, equip advocates with empirical research to bolster campaigns, build the voice and choice of most impacted communities, and galvanize researchers, policymakers, and industry practitioners to mitigate AI bias and harms.”  Twitter: @AJLUnited 

Black Girls Code, founded by Kimberly Bryant (@6Gems), aims “to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology. To provide African-American youth with the skills to occupy some of the 1.4 million computing job openings expected to be available in the U.S. by 2020, and to train 1 million girls by 2040.” Twitter: @BlackGirlsCode 

Black in Data, founded by Dr. Ruth Agbakoba (@RuthAgbakoba) and Simone Webb (@SimSci9), “represents a community of academics, professionals, and students working in various areas of data. We gather to support, learn from, and share opportunities with one another, and ultimately increase representation of Black people in data fields.” Twitter: @BlkInData

COVID Black, founded by Dr. Kim Gallon (@BlackDigitalHum), is “a Black Health data organization that uses data to tell stories about the Black lived experience to advocate for health equity. ” Twitter: @COVIDBLK 

The COVID Racial Data Tracker, initiated by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram), “advocates for, collects, publishes, and analyzes racial data on the pandemic across the United States. It’s a collaboration between the COVID Tracking Project and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.” Twitter: @COVID19Tracking and @AntiracismCtr 

Data For Black Lives, founded by Yeshimabeit Milner (@YESHICAN), is “a movement of activists, organizers, and mathematicians committed to the mission of using data science to create concrete and measurable change in the lives of Black people.” Twitter: @Data4BlackLives

Questions? Contact: Amy Yarnell, Data Services Librarian and Jean-Paul Courneya, Bioinformationist — at data@hshsl.umaryland.edu.