Build for Black Lives is a platform built to connect anti-racist individuals with activists, organizers, and Black-owned businesses to provide pro bono work creating websites, apps, graphics, social media content, data visualizations, and other projects. Our aim is to provide pro bono services as a means of working towards justice and reparations for a community that has been systematically oppressed, exploited, and underserved by the tech and design industries.
Build for Black Lives was created in 2020 by a group of nine women on the HackBeanpot organizing team.
The Tech and Design industries have had a long, racist, and non-inclusive history. To this day, these fields perpetuate white supremacy and fail to properly represent Black folx. Software plays a huge role in our society, but most tech is not created with Black folx in mind. In fact, lots of tech such as facial recognition software that misidentifies Black people, not only fails to represent members of the Black community, but in many cases has explicitly racist, dangerous, and even deadly effects.
This platform requires all project participants to be anti-racist, and be actively working to dismantle their own biases and white-centric coding and design practices.
Participating in this initiative is NOT an opportunity for participants to do "charity work", cleanse their guilt, or impose their opinions about what the Black community needs.
Participating in this initiative IS an opportunity to create projects that are explicitly requested by activists, organizers and Black business owners, and to provide free services, in order to work towards justice and reparations for a community that has been systematically oppressed, exploited, and underserved for hundreds of years.
How to think differently about doing good. This resource is "A guide to avoiding 'creative savior complex' when working on social impact projects, written by Omayeli Arenyeka and illustrated by Neta Bomani".
A guide to get you started in building equitable products, services, and content, written by Boyuan Gao and Jahan Mantin of Project Inkblot, with illustrations by Fanny Luor.
15+ Books by Black Scholars that members of the tech industry should read. Compiled by UCLAs Center for Critical Internet Inquiry.
A great informational resources and workbook developed initially by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun. Find more resources at dismantlingracism.org
A long list of resources with clear progressions and steps for unlearning white supremacy and working towards becoming an anti-racist ally. Document created by Anna Stamborski, Nikki Zimmermann, and Bailie Gregory.
A statement put out by the Critical Design Lab on action steps and Design commitments to abolish white supremacy
Important to consider why you are participating in this initiative, and how you talk about the work you are doing. Created by @eisellety on Instagram.
Working towards making design more responsible, anti-racist, and inclusive. This blog has posts written by a range of writers discussing "The Politics of Design"
Email us at: contact@buildforblacklives.com with the subject line: "Resource Suggestion".
Check out these latest news articles featuring Build for Black Lives to learn more about the motivation and vision behind this platform.
Can Technology Reduce Racial Inequality? — News@Northeastern
Undergraduate News: Build for Black Lives — Khoury College
Build for Black Lives uses tech skills for social change — The Huntington News
Want to get involved, or have questions, thoughts, feedback, or concerns? Email us at contact@buildforblacklives.com.
Please use one of the following subject lines to help us filter through questions:
"[Volunteer] Question"
"[Project Request] Question"
"[Community Partner] Question"