This Black History Month, our goal at the Faculty of Information is to highlight our Black staff, faculty, and students to showcase their professional and academic accomplishments, and to raise awareness about the industry disparities faced by Black professionals in the information sector. We spoke to first year Master of Information Human-Centred Data Sciences student, Bethlehem Zebib, whose goal is to leverage her personal experiences and technical skills to create human-centred solutions.
1) Why did you choose to join the Faculty of Information?
After my experiences in the field of international development, I saw a huge gap between technology and the needs of the communities we were trying to help. One example is how disabled people were almost always excluded in the planning of development projects, whether it was in a grant project, designing technologies, or planning to build an office/building.
This issue was particularly personal to me because my older brother is disabled, and my family has witnessed how exclusionary the world has been to him. In my search for graduate studies, I wanted to focus on how I could leverage my personal and professional experiences, and combine it with technical skills to take on better approaches to designing and creating solutions that are human-centred and community– led. I only applied to 2 programs, and thankfully, was accepted into UofT, so here I am today.
2) As a member of this Faculty, what work accomplishments are you most proud of?
Since it’s only my 2nd semester, I’m proud of how quickly I’m learning new technical skills such as statistics and python. I am also pleasantly surprised at how much of my past degree in Geography and International Development closely aligns with a lot of what I am learning today. I am able to add a social take on the technologies and ethical issues we talk about in class.
3) In your opinion, why do you believe Black professionals are underrepresented in this sector/field? What are some of the barriers?
Colonialism and institutional discrimination play a large part in why Black professionals are underrepresented. At times, even when Black people are hired in this field, they often end up getting fired or having to quit due to discrimination by colleagues and management. There is also the constant gaslighting that has made me rethink whether I truly wanted to go into this field or not.
Luckily, I had someone like Timnit Gebru to look up to. Timnit is from the same cultural background as I am, and she is someone I admire, especially after everything she has been through, from being fired from Google, to now starting a new AI research institute, and her consistent advocacy for Eritrean refugees and Tigrayans. She is what gives me hope about the endless possibilities Black women can create in a world that discriminates against us so heavily.
4) What are some efforts you think need to be made to increase representation and how can we as a Faculty play a role in supporting these efforts and/or how are we doing this already?
The Faculty can support these efforts by continuing to partner with researchers and research groups focused on elevating Black tech talent, and by funding research that Black students are involved in, specifically students in AI and ML research groups. I’m excited about the Black Research Network at UofT and the opportunities to come. Hopefully in the future, there will be more opportunities for Black master students to do fellowships and research projects.
