Knowledge is power.
A Call for Code for Racial Justice solution provides legal awareness to communities in need
Reaching a desired outcome takes ambition — but that’s only half the battle; you need to have the right tools as well. When it comes to breaking down the unjust barriers of our judicial system, there needs to be a tool in place to supplement the already existent conviction for change that many of us already have; and technology can help us get there.
Call for Code for Racial Justice has been the trusted platform for building and equipping communities impacted by inequity with the tools to fight back. In the case of many disadvantaged communities, part of the problem is the lack of transparent and straightforward policies, regulations, and legislation (PR&L) that exists. It’s critical to have clearly defined directives that are understandable for common people so that it is easy to act in accordance. When ambiguity exists, especially in PR&L, that’s when negative outcomes can ensue. A tool is needed to address this issue, and that’s where Truth Loop can help.
Truth Loop was created by a group that was motivated to build a solution that can bring real change. The team of problem solvers included Kim Cassidy, Sharon Osahon, Peter Ihlenfeldt, and Bimsara Pilaptiya, and their solution, Truth Loop provides a mobile-friendly way for users to examine PR&L, increase their legal awareness, and allow them to communicate their reactions and thoughts through the recording of video testimonials to be shared with the community and the people responsible for the creation of the PR&L. Call for Code Digest was able to catch up with a couple members of the team to learn about their inspiration behind getting involved and more:
What was your motivation for getting involved in Call for Code for Racial Justice?
Peter Ihlenfeldt: My motivation for getting involved in Call for Code for Racial Justice started with George Floyd’s murder. In the weeks and months that followed, I began to learn more about Black History, bias in legislation, injustice in the legal system and law enforcement, racial covenants in property deeds, and our sanitized education that omitted most of this. I decided that if I could use my knowledge in technology as a force multiplier, I wanted to do so.
Sharon Osahon: I joined the Call for Code for Racial Justice challenge because I believe there’s something each of us can do to end racial injustice. It can feel overwhelming, but each of our individual contributions do combine to chip away at racism bit by bit. I didn’t want to miss out on playing a part in that.
Kim Cassidy: With the events that were happening throughout the country in 2020, I wanted to contribute in a positive way. CFC provided an opportunity to do that using my design/UX skillset.
Why is racial injustice an issue that can be addressed by the tech community, and why is now the time to do so?
Peter Ihlenfeldt: Racial injustice is an issue that can be addressed by technology because it can promote awareness, and enable people to participate and have a voice in processes they might otherwise not. Plus, it can amplify human effort. And now is the time to do that because I think it’s clear that injustice of any kind can simply no longer be tolerated, so any way we can help, we need to.
Sharon Osahon: We use tech to alleviate so many pain points, from delivering us fresh takeaways and helping us manage our money to curing diseases and printing 3D objects. The problem of racial injustice is not exempt from that list. It’s why tech exists. There are also subtle ways in which racism has pervaded our technology e.g. the existence of racial bias in health care algorithms, or recurring patterns of black characters being stereotyped or completely absent in video games. It’s our responsibility to ensure our tech evolves ethically. Now’s the time to do so because I think we can all agree that we’re running late already!
Kim Cassidy: I think the momentum that started last year needs to keep going, and if not now, when? As for why the tech community — technology impacts so many and it’s an opportunity to provide solutions that can help others in nearly every aspect of their lives.
Who can you see benefiting from your solution and how?
Sharon Osahon: First and foremost, we hope that our solution will help the Black community by providing fellow citizens and lawmakers with more visibility of the challenges the Black community faces. We also hope that it will help lawmakers to develop legislation that doesn’t harm but instead supports the Black community. By creating a feedback loop between citizens and lawmakers we believe our solution can achieve that.
Bimsara Pilaptiya: In a society where the Black community faces the toughest working and financial injustices, we can see a huge benefit for those who simply cannot afford the time to keep up-to-date with the political world. Driving political engagement, especially in stressful times where financial disparity is being further widened, is therefore essential in creating a level playing field.
Kim Cassidy: Our solution, Truth Loop enables citizens to provide awareness on impact policies have to communities, especially communities of color. It is also the intention that policymakers will also see this impact of their policies.
What would you say to fellow technologists around the world who may be interested in contributing to CFCFRJ?
Peter Ihlenfeldt: What I would say to fellow technologists around the world about contributing to CFCFRJ is that this is an opportunity to use your skills to effect real change in the world. You will find yourself considering aspects of technology you may have never considered (bias, neutrality, etc). It has been one of the most inspiring development efforts I’ve ever been a part of.
Kim Cassidy: It’s a great way to use your best talents and help other human beings.
Are there any key learnings you have had from developing the solution to this point? (Could be technology-related, ways of working, platform-specific)
Bimsara Pilaptiya: For me, joining a team of like-minded strangers online and collaborating on such an important topic has been an honour. Although our team spans four timezones, we’ve got to a point now where we can plan and delegate tasks with ease. I’ve truly learned the value of strong leadership and organization throughout this project, and I see every meeting we have as a learning experience.
Kim Cassidy: I learned that super-smart and super-kind people can come together and bring great ideas to life, especially for the good of others. It’s quite a motivator.
Which components of the solution do you think developers can help in further improving your solution?
Bimsara Pilaptiya: Our solutions for the management of content and users are a constant point of interest for our talks — so contributors keen on implementing these ideas will go a long way. We also have a number of front-end wireframes that would be great for contributors to build out, as well as various tests that need to be written across the application.
Kim Cassidy: I think the key to our solution is the citizen testimonial, and the ability to improve that experience would be great.
Feeling inspired? Truth Loop and other open source projects that address racial injustice are looking for your help. Do your part and advance the vision of using technology to help combat systemic racism. Act now: Get involved in the Truth Loop project or learn more about Call for Code for Racial Justice.
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