By Joe Arney
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)
Three words you do not want to tell Shamika Klassen: No, you can鈥檛.
Klassen vividly recalls attending a seventh-grade math and engineering camp where she got to hear from a scientist who described what a PhD was. To Klassen, who鈥檇 fallen in love with technology, it sounded like a dream opportunity.
鈥淏ut then he ended his little speech with how it鈥檚 really hard to get a PhD, especially if you're a minority鈥攕o you shouldn't try,鈥� Klassen, who is Black, said. 鈥淪o, I raised my hand during the Q&A. I said, 鈥楳y name is Shamika. I just wanted you to know, I'm getting my PhD.鈥欌��
More than two decades later, Klassen鈥檚 mic-drop moment is here. A first-generation student, she graduates this May with a PhD from the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder, becoming the university鈥檚 first Black person to earn a doctoral degree in information science鈥攁 discipline she discovered almost by accident, but one that prepared her to join Google as a user experience researcher.
鈥淎s I got older, that excitement I had about technology turned into curiosity about how it was falling short of these aspirations and dreams and imaginations that we had for it,鈥� the soft-spoken scholar said. 鈥淚 wanted to be part of the bridge between where technology is and where it could be.鈥�
Toy story
That started in her childhood鈥擪lassen still vividly remembers re-engineering an automated stroller for a doll to turn it into a robot鈥攁nd was a major reason she pursued a master of divinity from Union Theological Seminary after graduating from Stanford University and teaching with AmeriCorps.
But it was through her connection with Nathan Schneider鈥攚ho she鈥檇 already had the opportunity to work with, including during his time with the Social Science Research Council鈥攖hat Klassen learned about information science, and how it blended her interests in service and technology.
Schneider, an assistant professor of media studies, was already acquainted with Klassen's work, and in her saw his own academic journey, which also offers interdisciplinary intrigue.
鈥淚 was trying to find my own path between my background in religion and how to incorporate tech more into my work鈥攁nd I loved how she was doing that,鈥� he said.
Klassen studies where technology falls short of its professed ideals, and the kinds of people it leaves behind. Specifically, she invites Black women, femmes and nonbinary people to imagine a better, more equal future鈥攑art of a concept she calls technowomanism that dates back to the formation of Black Lives Matter and the Gamergate harassment campaign.
Black Twitter, meet Green-Book
鈥淭here was this real dissonance between my activism and my academics鈥擨鈥檇 be marching in the afternoon, and writing a paper about liberation theology in the evening,鈥� she said. Technowomanism, she said, 鈥渋s a use of the womanist ethical framework applied to social justice issues in technology鈥搃t鈥檚 me asking how can we use ethical frameworks that are rooted in the Black feminism traditions when we're talking about technology.鈥�
A digital calling
At Union Theological Seminary, Shamika Klassen became a 鈥渢ech chaplain鈥濃�攊n the words of one of her professors, her skill at helping others navigate 鈥渢hese moments of issue with their technology with dignity and grace鈥� was similar to a chaplain ministering believers through troubled times.
It鈥檚 how she found herself in the crosshairs of Rod Dreher, the deeply conservative columnist and author, who took aim at her in a piece about social justice warriors. He invited Klassen to reply, and wound up publishing her entire 1,700-word response as a follow up.
鈥淚 loved the thoughtfulness of her reply,鈥� Nathan Schneider said. 鈥淗e made this vicious attack on her, she responds with incredible strength鈥攁nd he just kind of rolled over. And this is not a guy who rolls over.鈥�
It鈥檚 why he was excited to recommend her to CMCI鈥檚 doctoral program and why he鈥檚 enjoyed opportunities to collaborate with her, most notably on the Sacred Stacks project at the Media Economies Design Lab, of which Schneider is director.
鈥淥n that project, I got to see how others responded to her, and the kind of awe and admiration that so often follows her presence鈥攁nd that maybe she doesn鈥檛 see,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just makes me so hopeful and so excited about what鈥檚 next for her.鈥�
For instance, ; both offered Black users a sense of community in unfriendly places. As she interviewed participants about what a real Black Twitter鈥攁 social network designed by, and intended for, Black users鈥攃ould look like, she started asking larger questions about the research ethics of public data.
鈥淚t was a great opportunity to talk about the history of research in Black communities,鈥� Klassen said. 鈥淚nstead of just parachuting in, extracting data and leaving, could we build relationships with these communities, and be more honest and sincere about our intentions?鈥�
That kind of ethical perspective is why her doctoral advisor is so eager to see what Klassen accomplishes at Google.
鈥淎s an ethicist who spends a lot of time critiquing big tech, one of the things that makes me feel better about everything is when people like Shamika go to work in big tech,鈥� said Casey Fiesler, an associate professor of information science. 鈥淏ecause having people who care so deeply, and who have different kinds of perspectives and lived experiences, is how change starts to happen.
鈥淚 think Google is exceptionally lucky to have her, and the rest of us are exceptionally lucky to have her at Google.鈥�
Klassen knows a thing or two about luck: She considers herself fortunate to have been raised by a single mother, Mary Shelton, who worked tirelessly to support her four children, of whom Klassen is the eldest.
鈥淪he has been the most incredible figure in my life,鈥� Klassen said, sharing a story from her Stanford days of being invited to give a talk at a math camp in Texas, but without enough time to visit her San Antonio home.
鈥淢y mom got off work at the post office and drove straight to San Marcos from San Antonio鈥攊n her uniform鈥攕o she could see my talk,鈥� Klassen said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have a lot of money. But we did have that incredible support from someone who made all kinds of sacrifices that helped me get where I am today.
鈥淚 hope she鈥檚 proud of me. But I also hope my mom and the rest of my family can see my story and be inspired to do something that they want to do.鈥�
鈥楾he opportunity of a lifetime鈥�
鈥淚 want to be able to center marginalized voices in the design and development of technology. And I know that being a voice in the room advocating for these things is a big responsibility.鈥�
Shamika Klassen (PhDInfoSci鈥�24)
At Google, she hopes to inspire others to rethink technology. The job is, she said, 鈥渢he opportunity of a lifetime鈥� and follows an internship where she studied assistive technologies that use artificial intelligence to better understand how to help people with disabilities.
鈥淚 want to be able to center marginalized voices in the design and development of technology,鈥� Klassen said. 鈥淎nd I know that being a voice in the room advocating for these things is a big responsibility.鈥�
Count Joanna Mendy (PolSci, Soc鈥�22), a master鈥檚 student in information science, among those already inspired by Klassen. A few chance encounters while she was working with the university鈥檚 BioFrontiers Institute led Mendy to become Klassen鈥檚 research assistant; the two share a passion for bringing people from underrepresented and historically excluded backgrounds into the tech design space.
鈥淚 have a genuinely hard time articulating what it鈥檚 been like to work with someone who鈥檚 so brilliant, so caring and so intentional about her work,鈥� Mendy said of her mentor. 鈥淪he showed me how to really think through a research project鈥攈ow to make sure you鈥檙e hitting all your goals while still being flexible.
鈥淪o much of Shamika's research is about making sure that people feel heard and feel seen. That鈥檚 important to me, as well, and she鈥檚 been a big influence in helping me make sure those voices are part of my work.鈥�