COVID-19 laid bare the profound role of systemic racism in the economic and health disparities that shape the lives of African Americans. Â Whether it was mass unemployment, precarious “essential work,” high death rates, or soaring symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders the pandemic accelerates the crisis state of Black America. Â In this talk, Dr. S. Craig Watkins draws from his current research on young adults, technology, and COVID-19 to explore how platforms like smartphones and artificial intelligence can be leveraged to address some of the health and economic disparities that reproduce racial inequality. Â Watkins argues that young African Americans are not only technology consumers but technology innovators. Â As a result, their creative uses of technology open up new ways to think about the future of Black civic engagement, health, and opportunity in our post-pandemic world.
