W.E.B. Du Bois: DataViz Legend
Bill Shander
Author of "Stakeholder Whispering: Uncover What People Need Before Doing What They Ask", keynote speaker, workshop leader, LinkedIn Learning Instructor. Information design, data storytelling & visualization, creativity.
One of the most important figures in African American history is W.E.B. Du Bois. He was the first African American to receive a PhD from Harvard, he cofounded the NAACP, he wrote very influential books about the African American experience and was a widely regarded intellectual and activist.
What is less well-known is that he is also a figure who looms large over the field of data visualization. And his contribution to the field was almost lost to history until its rediscovery a few years ago. In recent years, there has been a book written about this work and there has also been coverage in various other media, including several in-depth articles and mentions in Nightingale, the journal of the Data Visualization Society.
Du Bois and his teams of students produced two large collections of data visualizations capturing information about the state of African Americans in Philadelphia and Georgia at the turn of the 20th Century. These two collections were revolutionary for a variety of reasons and afford us lessons that are still applicable to data workers today.
Lesson: W.E.B Du Bois
In this lesson, I introduce you to Du Bois’ work in data generally, and visualization specifically.
Listen: W.E.B. Du Bois with Anthony Starks
In this interview with Anthony Starks, you’ll learn more about Du Bois’ data work, as well as hear about the modern movement to recognize his important place in the data visualization canon, which is happening right now!
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Volunteer- Curriculum Development
2 年I received this data visualization post from my colleague Bill Shander, a Data Visualization expert. Sometimes it is not enough to just know the “how”, but the “who: and “when” add important context to what we learn and know. In light of February -?Black History Month, this is important information to know about and share. Let’s give credit where credit is due.?
Data Visualization & Analytics
2 年Sheila Brathwaite?Tamara Vasquez (She/Her/Ella)?Cheryl L. Baxter, MBA, Esq
Emergency Management Specialist, Public Health Advisor, Infectious Disease SME
2 年I never knew this! It's incredible information. Thank you for sharing!
Versatile Graphic Designer | Design Strategist | Presentations - Pitch Decks | Page Layout Design | Transform Complex Text-Heavy Content and Data | Infographics | UX Information Designer | AI Image Creator
2 年Always great to see the material you post and create. Thanks!
CPU Post-Silicon Verification Software Developer II, Machine Learning @ AMD | Data Scientist/Analyst | Outdoor woman
2 年Bill Shander, you are a fantastic mentor! Thank you for sharing informative articles.