African Americans and IT: possibilities for progressive social change

1) Re-thinking indigenous knowledge systems

a. African Fractals in anthropology, education and design

2) Re-thinking history of technology

a. The problem of romantic organicism in Black political movements

Bell hooks (1990, p. 29) on the 1960s: “This discourse created the idea of ‘primitive’ and promoted the notion of an ‘authentic’ experience, seeing as ‘natural’ those expressions of black life which conformed to a pre-existing pattern or stereotype.”

b. Discovering black pioneers of science and technology

Early IT:

· Earl Jones: In the early 1970s he pioneered work in distributed data processing using small computers linked to an IBM 370.

· Patricia Cowings: Analog interface design for NASA's biofeedback program.

· Philip Emeagwali: Nigerian-American; work not only concerns parallel processing for nonlinear dynamics, but his research takes a strongly historical approach, utilizing the history of mathematics and its interaction with computer hardware to improve his perspective on the equations. 

More recent IT:

· John P. Moon: developed key features of the 3.5"floppy disk and drive head for Mac.

· Derek Harris: first African American owned computer company. makes use of vernacular metaphors and science fiction.

· Opto-Electronics cluster: Earl D. Shaw (physicist, co-inventor of spin-flip laser), William R. Northover (chemical innovations for laser fiber optics), Thomas C. Cannon (mechanical innovations for fiber optic cables). 

3) Re-thinking the future of technology

a. The AfroFuturists: technology as a Black cultural movement

· Historian of Hip-Hop: Tricia Rose  · Cultural critics: Greg Tate, Mark Sinker, Mark Dery · Analog musicians:  Lee "Scratch" Perry (Ska), George Clinton (funk) and Sun Ra (jazz) · Digital musicians: DJ Spooky and Singe · Visual artists: Fatima Truggard and Keith Piper · Black science fiction writers: George Schyler’s Black No More, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, Toni Cade Bambara’s The Salt Eaters. More recently: Samuel R. Delany, Octavia Butler, Nalo Hopkinson.

Rammellzee -- performance artist

Virtual Black communities

· Net Noir: started in 1995 by David Ellington and Malcom CasSelle. Ave 120,000 hits/mo.

· web channels for Culture, Entertainment, News, Business and Politics, Shopping.

· Melanet: started 1989 by William and Rodney Jordan. Ave 40,000 hits/mo. Focus on Black culture and spirituality.

· City of New Elam: started 1994 by Rey Harris and Stafford Battle. Ave 2,000 hits/mo. Focus on introducing Black-owned small business to the web.

· SOHH ("Support On-line Hip-Hop"): started in 1995 with Felicia Palmer and Steve Samuel as "cybermics," currently negotiating with Intel, CNET and Mediadome for on-line sales.