Announcement
The UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2) is a recipient of a gift from the Archewell Foundation, which will support research, programs, and convenings focused on the harms vulnerable communities face from internet technologies. C2i2 is an interdisciplinary university research center at the University of California, Los Angeles focused on addressing the role of the internet in undermining democracy, civil and human rights. The Center advocates for more equitable and socially-just internet policies and practices.
In response to the new initiative, C2i2 Co-Director Dr. Safiya U. Noble said, “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are deeply committed to using their light to illuminate the problems of inequality and structural racism. We have a shared commitment and sense of urgency in making a more compassionate world, much of which is undermined by internet platforms. I know what they stand for and share in their mission. We look forward to lending our research expertise and networks to our mutual work on the most pressing issues of internet policy and culture that are accelerating racial, gender, and economic inequity.”
“From the moment we started reading ‘Algorithms of Oppression,’ we had a deep appreciation and respect for Dr. Safiya Noble and her critical work. That respect has only grown throughout the year as we collaborated. We have a common mission—rooted in justice, compassion, and improving the state of the digital world—and we’re proud to call the Center for Critical Internet Inquiry an Archewell Foundation partner,” said The Duke and Duchess of Sussex of the effort.
C2i2 Executive Director Vanessa Wrenn Rhinesmith will be appointed to develop the new Archewell Foundation initiative, along with Center Co-Directors, Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble and Dr. Sarah T. Roberts. “We are thrilled about this partnership with the Archewell Foundation, which strengthens the much needed research we need on the role of the internet in society. The cutting-edge research of Professors Noble and Roberts is reflective of our mission to develop knowledge in service to the public,” said Dean Tina Christie, Interim Wasserman Dean of the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies.
This new collaboration between C2i2 and the Archewell Foundation will build on the Center’s existing network of scholars, practitioners, activists, and artists working on racial justice and community impact through research, culture making, and public policy.
****
Safiya U. Noble is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Information Studies and African American Studies and is affiliated with the Department of Gender Studies. Sarah T. Roberts is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Studies and is affiliated with the Institute for Labor Relations and the Department of Gender Studies. More information on both scholars can be found at c2i2.ucla.edu.
