Computational Notebook as a Tool for Supporting Black Engineers Non-Profit Organizations in the Context of Workforce Participation

Abstract

Data is often referred as the ’new oil’ due to its high strategic value and the possibilities it brings. In addition, its use by powerful organizations has the potential to help, but also to harm and function as an additional oppression mechanism towards certain communities. Hence, there is a need for providing easier ways for people and organizations to access, analyze, and interpret reliable, publicly available data (e.g., U.S. Census) and creating data narratives that reflect their social position in society and inform how to improve that position. In this case study, we document our journey of using computational notebooks to increase autonomy for organizations tackling racial and social justice issues by making meaningful use of publicly available data. The project involved an action research approach run in partnership with a non-profit organization supporting Black engineers. The reported case study involved participants representing staff and volunteer leadership of the organization. We expect that the presented reflections help move towards a more equitable way of performing data analysis while using popular and freely available technologies.