Ruha Benjamin Distinguished Lecture Series +3 (Kathya Lavado-Arrington, Class of 2028)

On Wednesday, September 17th, at 6:00 PM, I had the amazing opportunity to attend an event held by the Spelman College Social Justice Program. This event was a part of the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Lecture Series, where Spelman alumna, Dr. Ruha Benjamin, C’ 2001, was the designated speaker for this semester. Before coming to this event, I took the opportunity to research Dr. Ruha Benjamin to get a sense of her mission as a professor and author, and learned that her work is mainly based on targeting issues that intersect aspects such as social justice, race, and the use of technology. 

Three aspects about technology stood out to me in Dr. Benjamin’s lecture: “Ancestral Intelligence”, the goal of demystifying technology and its uses. First, she discusses the importance of what she calls “the OG AI,” Ancestral Intelligence. Second, she sets a goal for the audience, and also our society as a whole, to demystify technology. Lastly, she opens up our eyes to see that while boldness is overproduced, realism is underproduced in our society. 

Sitting in Dr. Benjamin’s lecture allowed me as a college student to pay more attention to the amount of technology I consume and be aware of where I get my information when using technology. In my Sociological Imagination class, we have been urged to think about how bigger systems affect smaller communities on a day-to-day basis, specifically in education. Dr. Benjamin reminded the audience and I that while technology that is created by the elite can dictate our future, using our imagination and knowledge on social injustices can dictate a fair future. Ultimately, this lecture was highly eye-opening, and I am looking forward to being more involved with her work and continuing this important conversation.

Kathya Lavado Arrington

Class of 2028