Using Data & Technology to Advance Racial Justice with Kimberly Seals Allers

In this new landscape of technology, algorithms are used as data to make predictions and aid in decision-making around medical treatment and healthcare access. While they have been known to reinforce discrimination and harm, they also have the capacity to advance health equity and the well-being of Black communities.

In this episode of the Health EquiTEA Podcast, Jallicia and Ijeoma frame the struggles for health equity within the recent efforts of Black leaders to leverage innovative technology for racial justice and birth equity.   Black women leaders have paved the digital lane in health care by creating apps that combine digital tools with efforts to address coded biases and racism that exist in the medical system.  This increased representation of Black health tech founders alongside the growing awareness of systemic inequities that impact the well-being of Black people reinforces the urgent calls to hold institutions accountable for using biased technology to perpetuate health disparities.  We respond to this call by showcasing the knowledge, evidence-based solutions, and health equity work of Black leaders.

One innovative tech approach to addressing racial justice that we’ve seen in recent years is the Irth app, which allows users to screen their hospitals and doctors for racial bias while seeking birthing care. The Irth app — which is Birth, without the b for bias, is a product of Narrative Nation, a non-profit that creates community-centered media and technology to eradicate health disparities founded by Kimberly Seals Allers, who is an award-winning journalist, author, international speaker, strategist and advocate for maternal and infant health. Kimberly, Jallicia, and Ijeoma talk about the importance of storytelling and data collection to encourage transparency and accountability in healthcare systems, how Irth transforms the definition of who creates health knowledge, and the need to shift the burden from Black people to create their own solutions to address their health.

Key Episode Moments

00:02:41 — The Impact of Racism in Technology on Black Health

00:07:25 — The Role of Race in Medical Technology and Algorithms

00:09:26 — Interview with Kimberly Seals Allers

00:13:15 — How Data Can be Used to Improve Health Outcomes for Black Birthing People

00:15:14 — The Importance of Community-Based Solutions in Birth and Breastfeeding

00:25:06 — How the Irth App is Driving Change for Maternal Health

00:36:24 — The Power of Storytelling in Black Health Liberation

00:41:55 — The Importance of Transparency and Accountability in Achieving Health Equity

00:46:13 — The Future of Racial Health Justice Work in Technology

Additional Reading, Resources, and References

• Braun, Lundy, 2015. Race, ethnicity and lung function: a brief history. Canadian journal of respiratory therapy, 51 (4): 99.

• Brooks, Karen. 2021. Filtering Bias Out of Kidney Testing. Penn Medicine.

• Color of Change. 2022. "Color of Change Launches Black Tech Agenda As a Roadmap for Racial Equity in Tech Policy." 

• Lima, Christiano. 2022. Racial Justice Group Unveils 'Black Tech Agenda' as roadmap for Congress. The Washington Post. 

• Grant, Crystal. 2022. “Algorithms Are Making Decisions About Health Care, Which May Only Worsen Medical Racism.” American Civil Liberties Union. 

• National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation. 2021. "Racial Bias in Health Care Artificial Intelligence.” Health Equity. 

• Obermeyer, Ziad, Powers, Brian, Vogeli, Christine, and Mullainathan, Sendhil, 2019. Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations. Science, 366 (6464): 447– 453.

• Roberts, Dorothy, 2011. Fatal invention: How science, politics, and big business re-create race in the twenty-first century. New Press/ORIM.

• Seals, Kimberly Allers. 2005. The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy. Amistad, 2006.

• Wallis, Claudia. 2021. Fixing Medical Devices That Are Biased against Race or Gender. Scientific American.

• Birth Equity Digital Tools

• Believe Her App by Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project

• Health in Her Hue by Ashlee Wisdom

• Wolomi by Layo George

• Irth App by Kimberly Seals Allers