Teach-In Explores Using Data to Lift Communities

How can researchers use data to give communities voice and address systemic inequities, and how can they prevent harm to vulnerable communities when collecting them?

Building Communities of Storytellers Through Data Literacy, moderated by Journalism Assistant Professor Lina Maria Giraldo, explored these questions as part of the 2025 Teach-In on Race, held February 5 and 6 and presented in partnership with EmersonTogether.

Catherine D’Ignazio, Associate Professor of Urban Science and Planning at MIT, kicked off the conversation by discussing her latest book, Counting Feminicide: Data Feminism in Action. She talked about collaborating with activists in Puerto Rico who manually collect data on feminicide (gender-based fatal violence), which wasn’t being systematically tracked. 

“Activist movements have taken it upon themselves to count,” said D’Ignazio. “They go and read news stories, go to social media, and produce databases of cases.”

Working at the MIT Media Lab, she became more familiar with participatory approaches and recognized their power in making complex and highly technical systems, such as AI and digital platforms, more transparent and accountable. She applied this understanding to her collaboration with feminicide activists.

“Through this process, we are modeling an alternative approach to see what it would look like to build more democratic, inclusive, feminist technologies,” said D’Ignazio. “Technology doesn’t save lives, activists do. But we can make their work more sustainable.”

Rahul Bhargava, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Art and Design at Northeastern University, explained how playfulness can be integrated into serious activism. 

“These issues are heavy, but they don’t always have to be,” said Bhargava. 

He cited a project in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, where a group of unhoused people created a mini-golf course based on zoning laws to protest gentrification.

“Do you want to learn about zoning laws? Probably not. But do you want to play mini-golf? Yes,” said Bhargava. “It’s an example of when you use your skills to think outside the box, it opened up a broader audience and got people engaged.”

Giraldo asked the panelists to address the ethics of data collection, particularly when working with vulnerable populations. D’Ignazio emphasized the importance of being cautious.

“Researchers are trained to collect data, but often we may not need it,” said D’Ignazio. “Particularly if we are working with populations whose very existence is politicized, we need to be deeply careful. If you can’t guarantee safety, you probably shouldn’t collect that data.”

Bhargava recounted his experience with an online news archive tracking white supremacist rhetoric.

“We realized if we published this data, it could be used as a pipeline for radicalization, so we said no,” explained Bhargava “Sometimes, you have to say no to yourself.”

Bhargava followed it up by offering a powerful metaphor.

“Make mirrors, not windows,” said Bhargava. “Most data projects act as windows, looking at others, but we need more mirrors. Data that allows communities to see themselves, add missing context, and take action. If we don’t like what we see, it’s a reflection of something that needs to change.”