Colonizer Atrocity Index

In order to build a more equitable future we must fully understand our past.  To that end, we are creating a data driven tool that quantifies the financial and social impact of colonialism and chattel slavery on our lives today.  We use machine learning and neural linguistic algorithms to gather and analyse research papers, Wikipedia and other sources.   Our goal is a presentation layer that is accessible, interactive and centers equity, healing and human connection.  We chose the index approach as a foundation because good metrics can be mapped to appropriate methods of repair and resolution.  A deeper, more complete understanding of our collective history will drive collective action and provide the next generation of change makers critical tools to continue the work of designing and building  better futures for all.    

Most school curricula do not include a complete and accurate picture of the impact (past and present) of colonialism and slavery.  As a result, the root cause for the structural inequality we see in the world today is largely misunderstood or overlooked.  Learners without access to this information are ill-equipped to build and support the innovations required to continue the work of dismantling systemic inequalities in ways that are relevant to their generation.  These inequalities have built up and compounded over hundreds of years.  2020 began a powerful period of reckoning that will take years to fully realize.   Intentionally preparing students with an understanding of the lasting impact of these historical atrocities will create a generation of thinkers and doers with the  empathy required to center diversity, equity and inclusion organically and to build a better world.    

We are working to ease the generational trauma, lack of access to opportunity and other impacts of colonization and slavery through education and collective action.  In equitable US classrooms, all students are enlightened by world history and fact based explanations for today’s social and economic inequities thus empowering them to be the change.       

Our solution is an easily accessible and consumable visualization. The  interactive tool will depict quantitative and qualitative information on global history, with a specific focus on Africa, United States and other countries suffering the lasting effects of colonization. The tool is heavily dependent on AI. We will use Natural Language Processing algorithms to process large the amounts of text and other data that will inform the visualization and illuminate the historical narrative. The data will be sourced from multiple sources including: academic papers, articles and firsthand accounts. 

This is designed with learners of all ages in mind.  All children must have access to a complete and representative history in order to understand their existence in relation to the world around them and to realize their full potential.  

1. History gives children a source of identity.

2. Children need to be exposed to pre-colonial African role models who demonstrate good and responsible citizenship.

3. History builds children’s understanding of society. Through investigating how African history developed over time, black and brown children will have a greater understanding of current events and conditions. 

4. History gives children perspective and a more holistic understanding of society.

5. World recorded history must be inclusive.  

Our solution serves all children.  Well taught history benefits all children.  Black and brown children, in particular,  will benefit from a more holistic view of their pre-colonial ancestors and an appreciation that their history did not begin with slavery or colonialism.   White children will benefit from the empathy developed from learning about their ancestors and the lasting impact on their classmates of color. We avoid blame and focus on connection and collaboration in service of building a better future together.     

Our product encourages student engagement through through full and inclusive teaching of history that centers kindness, empathy and compassion.  Our highest goal is to build human connection and to inspire students to imagine and create solutions that build equity. Transformative cultural change often bubbles up from our youth.  In addition, our solution supports and bolsters the mental health of Black and Brown students through an honest, uplifting and future-facing perspective.  History provides a path to understanding current realities and to an equitable future where all students can thrive.  

Prototype:   We have begun collecting data and testing low-fidelity prototypes with target demographics and markets.  We are actively collecting feedback and iterating.  

We are a two person team.