At the beginning of the 20th century, W.E.B. Du Bois examined the experiences and culture of Black individuals in Philadelphia, taking note of the pervasive racist attitudes held by white society. He highlighted how disparities in health outcomes and other critical areas were not solely the result of individual biases but were entrenched within American institutions themselves. Fast forward nearly 125 years, and the concept of “systemic racism” has emerged as a pivotal focus in racial studies. Extensive data collection and analysis, reminiscent of Du Bois’s foundational work, help illuminate the intricate mechanisms contributing to racial inequity in legal and institutional frameworks, while also evaluating their consequences.
MIT Professor Fotini Christia, who leads the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) and co-directs the Initiative on Combatting Systemic Racism (ICSR), emphasizes that extensive research has documented racial discrimination and systemic disparities across virtually all areas of American society. “Emerging studies reveal how computational technologies, often trained on historical data, can reinforce existing racial biases,” Christia notes. Yet, these same technological tools have the potential to reveal unequal racial outcomes, comprehend their underlying causes, and aid in developing targeted solutions.
The IDSS initiative not only facilitates research on systemic racism within MIT but also aspires to extend this research beyond its walls. One of its key projects is the newly launched ICSR Data Hub, which acts as a dynamic, public online repository housing datasets collected by ICSR researchers.
Data for Justice
Ben Lewis, an SM ’24 graduate from the MIT Technology and Policy Program (TPP) and current doctoral student at the MIT Sloan School of Management, played a crucial role in developing the ICSR Data Hub. “My primary project involved leveraging Amazon Web Services to create a resource for other researchers looking to develop their own studies related to criminal justice,” he explains. “Our goal is to make this hub a central location where researchers can easily access data through a straightforward web or Python interface.”
While completing his master’s, Lewis concentrated on issues surrounding race, drug policy, and policing in the U.S., specifically investigating how drug decriminalization policies affect incarceration and overdose rates. He contributed to the ICSR Policing team, which comprises MIT researchers analyzing data’s role in shaping policing policies and identifying how data may reveal or exacerbate racial biases.
Professor Devavrat Shah, an electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) faculty member and team lead, remarked, “The Policing vertical started with a crucial question: Can we utilize data to gain a clearer understanding of the influence of race on the myriad decisions made within the criminal justice system?” Currently, the Data Hub includes 911 dispatch information and police stop data, collected from 40 of the largest U.S. cities by ICSR researchers. Lewis expresses hopes for expanding the hub to encompass not just additional cities but also other critical yet often isolated data points, such as sentencing statistics.
“We aim to integrate datasets to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of law enforcement structures,” Jessy Xinyi Han, an ICSR researcher, elaborates. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in the IDSS Social and Engineering Systems (SES) program. Utilizing statistical methods such as causal inference, Han believes researchers can uncover the root causes of disparities, helping to “untangle a web of possibilities” and illuminate the effects of race at various points in the criminal justice process.
“My motivation for this project is deeply personal,” Lewis confesses, explaining his attraction to MIT stemmed from the desire to research systemic racism. While a TPP student, he founded the Cambridge branch of End Overdose, a nonprofit committed to reducing drug overdose fatalities. His advocacy has resulted in training numerous individuals in lifesaving drug intervention methods and earning him the 2024 Collier Medal, a prestigious MIT honor recognizing outstanding community service in memory of MIT officer Sean Collier, who died in the line of duty.
Lewis adds, “Having family members who faced incarceration has profoundly impacted me. I’ve witnessed its effects on my family and community, ultimately understanding that over-policing and incarceration serve only as temporary fixes to deeper issues related to poverty and substance use, effectively trapping individuals in an endless cycle.”
Education and Impact
As the foundational framework for the Data Hub is established, the ICSR Policing team is beginning to share its datasets publicly. This initiative is part of a cross-disciplinary research effort within the ICSR that includes diverse sectors, such as housing, healthcare, and social media.
Munther Dahleh, an EECS professor and founding director of IDSS, along with Christia, points out, “We aim to utilize the vast array of available data to tackle challenging questions regarding how racism arises from the interplay of multiple systems. Our focus lies in understanding how various institutions perpetuate racism and the role technology plays in either exacerbating or mitigating this issue.”
To the creators of the Data Hub, the project’s success will be measured by the extent to which the data is utilized in research initiatives within and beyond MIT. However, the hub is also a valuable resource for users with varying levels of experience. Han emphasizes, “The Data Hub is designed to educate and empower users. This information can be incorporated into projects that teach data analysis techniques and unravel racial disparities in datasets.”
Dahleh shares, “Fostering the development of data skills has been a fundamental goal of the IDSS since its inception. We are eager to uncover the educational opportunities that arise from making this data accessible, including our expanding suite of online courses.”
This focus on educational potential is vital for ICSR researchers at MIT, who hope to utilize data and computational tools to create practical insights that can guide policymakers toward meaningful change. “Systemic racism presents compelling evidence of a societal crisis with far-reaching consequences,” Christia asserts. “At IDSS, we seek to ensure that the growth of technology, combined with increased access to data, is harnessed to address and overcome racist inequalities rather than perpetuate them.”
