History: more on racism

[amyjko]

PS -  this was the first time I read a chapter about software engineering and learned about the  major contributions by the black community early on and the injustice with crediting involved! I'm glad that information was included - as someone who has taken CS classes since high school I was surprised to not have covered that information in any textbook before.

The only real thing I would want to improve on this chapter is a little more detail on how the beginning of software engineering emerged in both Silicon Valley as well as the black entrepreneurs. I understand that it might not have been the focus of the chapter but I think it would be really really interesting to learn more about what happened that caused specifically Silicon Valley to emerge as the leader in tech when someone else had their own opportunity that didn't work out. Although racism is mentioned, I would be curious to learn about at least a little more detail on the subject. I think it could provide some important historical context to a subject that nowadays is really glossed over.

A concept that I would have liked to be better explained is specifically how software and software engineering tend to reinforce existing structures of discrimination. The reading mentions that women were systematically excluded from many of these technological innovations and African Americans were suppressed in the workplace and society. I would like to know some examples of software being made that fail to include perspectives other than white males. What are some of the negative impacts and consequences that came from this? and How did someone like Margaret Hamiton get into a position of power?

It talked about black entrepreneurs but didn't add much substance besides that. We know from stories like hidden figures just how integral to computing minorities were and would have been nice to have an example like that included.

In this chapter, I felt that there were a few concepts that could be better explained. One being racism, it could be better explained how racism in the workplace and society suppresses black people from the industry. Is it because of hiring practices or something else? Another is sexism, it is mentioned that women were systemically excluded, but how? Also, these issues are intersectional, which is important to note when talking about these matters. Lastly, I wish there was more detail on how software engineering encodes, amplifies, and reinforces existing structures and norms of discrimination. Perhaps a concrete example of algorithmic bias in the real world today?

After grounding myself in more context on its history, I was curious about the section between Black American entrepreneurs and White American entrepreneurs in the role of software and society. I felt that this topic could be even more elaborated in its own section, because after reading that part, I drew connections and more thoughts between technology, race, and capitalism. The text mentions how White entrepreneurs saw "opportunities for profit through disruption," a very capitalistic and individualistic mindset where one only serves to gain themselves over the collective community. I had my own thoughts about how the technological software innovations of today is regarded and esteemed only in this lens--why it values the power of one individual or pioneer in the field rather than the care of communities, the ways that entrepreneurs become defined as someone with a unique idea that sets one individual apart from the rest of "competition" instead of uplifting the collective, etc. Through this light and as an extension of capitalistic thought, works of Black Americans become shadowed and oppressed because even outcomes meant to connect and build communities aren't prioritized in entrepreneurship unless its sole focus is driving profits. From this perspective, we open up the complicated connections of racial capitalism embedded in the works of software and technology.

I feel that one thing the chapter can improve upon is the discussion about Asian American or other ethnic groups, and how they began to explore how to use software. In the chapter is does discuss about Black Americans and White Americans, but I don't recall any mention of any other ethnic groups.