Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter

by Charlton D. McIlwain

Activists, pundits, politicians, and the press frequently proclaim today's digitally mediated racial justice activism the new civil rights movement. As Charlton McIlwain shows in this book, the story of racial justice movement organizing online is much longer and varied than most people know. In fact, it spans nearly five decades and involves a varied group of engineers, entrepreneurs, hobbyists, journalists, and activists. But this is a history that is virtually unknown even in our current age of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Black Lives Matter.

Beginning with the simultaneous rise of civil rights and computer revolutions in the 1960s, McIlwain, for the first time, chronicles the long relationship between African Americans, computing technology, and the Internet. In turn, he argues that the forgotten figures who worked to make black politics central to the Internet's birth and evolution paved the way for today's explosion of racial justice activism. From the 1960s to present, the book examines how computing technology has been used to neutralize the threat that black people pose to the existing racial order, but also how black people seized these new computing tools to build community, wealth, and wage a war for racial justice.Through archival sources and the voices of many of those who lived and made this history, Black Software centralizes African Americans' role in the Internet's creation and evolution, illuminating both the limits and possibilities for using digital technology to push for racial justice in the United States and across the globe.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Race, History, Social Justice, Computer Science, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Associate Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, NYU.

"[His] recent work focuses on the intersections of race, digital media, and racial justice activism."--nyu.edu

Reviews

[Emma S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for anyone in the software or tech industry. McIlwan busts the myth that the web has always been a white male nerd colony and takes us through the remarkable story of engineers, programmers, business people and hobbyists who fought to build a place for Black folks on the internet and foster a community. Reading black software I discovered so many (still) revered institutions (MIT and IBM in particular) have legacies of vehement anti-black racism- something never discussed by teaching institutions or my peers This should be an awakening for anyone in the industry and at the *top* of your reading list.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting look at the role African Americans have played in the development of the Internet.

[Jessica Dai · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think everyone working in tech, esp born after like.. 1997, should read this -- puts lots of history I didn't know at all (early tech industry, early internet) in context w black tech history. the oral history-style exposition of the first half was also refreshing and simply fascinating.

some argumentation was not super new to me (e.g. tech viewed as a new means to manage, control, "solve the problem" of black people) but I really appreciated the way in which it was put in conversation with the development of tech for military purposes (abroad), then repurposed against the domestic "enemy."

fuller review (in real sentences) on the reboot newsletter here :~)

[Ivan Zhao · Rating 4 out of 5]

a must read for anyone entering the tech sector in this day and age. McIlwain brings a narrative angle towards a historical event that shows EXACTLY how forgotten some of the giants in tech have been forgotten and the importance of the Afronet in the early ages of the web.

[colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of standout moments in this book, which chronicles the often overlooked history of black contributions to the development of the internet and the field of computer science. It also provides some great background into the history of racial injustice and the development of technology in the 20th century onward, and how those two often connect.

It does, however, feel stretched a bit too thin. The first book in particular has the issue of trying to explore all these innovators, software engineers, and businessmen that built these spaces for POC online, and doing so doesn't really give the reader the space to retain the information provided. Part of that cannot really be helped, as a lot of the stories don't really intersect until the very end, but it becomes difficult to remember each person and the motivations, especially because of how little the individual backgrounds impact the broader story. I was also a little bit disappointed by how little the stories of the 80's and 90's really overlap with more contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter, considering the book is sort of framed around the question "What built the foundation for a movement like BLM?"

Despite these issues, it is an important read, especially if you, like me, are in computer science spaces where the historical context of computer science are almost entirely centered around white men, and falsely framed as apolitical.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik had het heel graag een interessant boek gevonden, helaas was het dat niet. Het idee van het boek sprak me heel erg aan, maar jammer genoeg weet het boek de belofte niet in te lossen. De verhalen die verteld worden zijn niet erg interessant, de schrijfstijl leest niet prettig en de verschillende verhalen zijn moeilijk uit elkaar te halen. Helaas. Er zitten een paar leuke wetenswaardigheden in (AOL kostte 3.99 per uur!?) en het thema is erg belangrijk. De vraag waar ik mee bleef zitten is: waren er geen interessantere verhalen te vinden?

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book, and covers a lot of history of technology that I'd never heard of - which makes me wonder why I'd never even come across references to these sites and communities before. The second half, unfortunately, falls a bit short, especially when it starts to examine the relationship between technology and policing. Of course, that's a huge topic in itself, but it feels like a lot of factors have been left out of the description without spending much time on the complexity. It could be that I'm just missing background here.

Anyway, overall a really interesting read.

[Christopher Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book with some very important context about how race (here a focus on African Americans) has shaped the Internet and computers more generally. The discussion is balanced and documents how some people in the black community worked hard from the beginning to make sure black culture and history was well represented. That is a piece of the story.

It frankly discusses how the Internet was dominated not just by white men, but how it enabled particularly angry, racist white men to beat down others that wanted to be a part of cyberspace. Some of the white men who weren't writing atrocious things in all caps were nonetheless shaping the technology to ignore the lived experiences of people of color. These are important stories that need to be told. The book does a great job of showing how decisions embracing certain police technologies shaped and silenced black community for decades - but social media has offered some new tools that allow those communities to tell their own stories.

Despite the many things I liked about this book, I did find it a little hard to read at times - I wasn't sure where it was going with many different characters that were doing interesting things and I had trouble tracking who was who at times (a common problem I have with any story with many characters).

So many books about this important transitional time have been written by white men without any discussion about important racial and gender dynamics. Books like this are important to tell the stories that many other authors miss.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was worth reading. It had lots of important historical details in it the made me realize we are repeating the same cycles over and over again and the role that software plays in those cycles. Instead of being an equalizer, software has mostly only contributed to the disparities we see. I struggled a bit with feeling like a cohesive narrative was missing and instead it was a list of historical events and people. If I was a computer scientist I feel I would have understood the context better and gotten more out of the book. Overall I learned quite a bit that I hadn't known before.

[Jennifer M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed in this book which seems like it should be incredibly relevant right now. The chapters feel disconnected from each other, with no clear through line. The two major parts of the book have no connection at all, and the second feels incomplete. The narrative jumps back and forth in time for no apparent reason. Black Lives Matter gets only a few pages in the epilogue, in spite of being mentioned on the cover. And the author's insistence on putting quotations in italics instead of using quotation marks makes for a confusing and difficult read.

[Colin Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the introduction to Black Software, Charlton D. McIlwain defines black software as technology that "conjures the myriad ways that we mobilize computing technology" (7). He continues, "Black software refers to the programs we desire and design computers to run. It refers to who designs the program, for what purposes, and what or who becomes its object or data. It refers to how, and how well, the computer performs the tasks for which it was programmed" (7). While I like what this book wants to explore conceptually, these passages suggest how confusing and, at times, unclear McIlwain is throughout it. For example, a more precise definition of black software comes later in the book when McIlwain characterizes black software as technology designed to "isolate us, restrain us, contain us, [and] lock us up" (167). Here, perhaps building on Michelle Alexander's notion of "The New Jim Crow," McIlwain describes a "Digital New Jim Crow," and these moments are the most interesting and thought-provoking sections of Black Software.

But Black Software is frustratingly deceptive. This is a book, despite what its full title suggests (Black Software: The Internet and Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter), that has little to say about contemporary political movements on the Internet. For example, the book's first section traces those initial efforts by particular Black people to find a place in computer technology spaces in the mid to late 20th century. Unfortunately, this is the book's weakest and least interesting section, and it lasts a staggering 170 of 260 pages.

Section Two is far more engaging and satisfies McIlwain's desire to demonstrate how "computing technology was built and developed to keep black America docile and in its place—disproportionately disadvantaged, locked up, and marked for death" (7). For anyone interested in understanding the intersection between race and digital computing technology, read Black Software, but skip Section One and just read the introduction and Section Two.

[mia difelice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful use of primary sources and first-hand interviews. Shines a much-needed light on an oft-ignored side of tech history. Engaging storytelling and great narrative voice from the author. 

As a zoomer, it was difficult to image the internet of the 80s and 90s. Just wrapping my head around a text-based internet distracted from the story (my problem, not the author's lol). 

The ending chapters discussing the origins of police surveillance and the politics behind it (black = crime) were super illuminating, especially given today's conversations around predictive policing and surveillance. The whole book shows how a lot of the politics and racism were absolutely baked into the technology as it was being developed (and how companies like IBM happily profited off it).

Loving, careful, beautiful portrayals of the activists and trailblazers profiled. Winds the history of lynchings, migration, riots/uprisings, police violence, civil rights movement, with that of the technological history.

I was taken aback by the abrupt end, but I guess it underscores that this story isn't over. Remains to be seen whether computing and internet tech will continue to be a tool of white supremacy, or if radical possibilities will take hold.

[Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent read of the role the Vanguards played in uplifting the Black community and how the Commiteemen are part of the larger influence of the prison and military industrial complexes in the oppression of the Black community. I thought that there would be more time spent tracing #BlackLivesMatter's roots in the 20th century, but overall enjoyed this book. A necessary read for those craving a critical perspective at the role that technology has played in social justice movements.

[Amina]

Was a very interesting book it really shows how in the begging the amount of new technology was on the move and how black people who just was in some very interesting places and really got the start in industry of technology and really had no idea it would amount to this mass global move. the writing was wired but I did get through the book. A lot of information that I found useful.

[Mills College Library]

302.23089 M1522 2020

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting look at some parts of early internet history that I had been unaware of.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book! Very informative and definitely worth a read if you're interested in the history of the internet and software with the intersection of race.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good overview for those interested in learning about how Black software was shaped and the intrinsic white supremacy in the tech world. I read for a graduate course but it is very narrative and easy to read!

[Matthew Robertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

For all the interesting historical context it give, it’s pretty disjointed and just not a smooth read

[Jack F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t recommend the audio book. Interesting stuff in here for sure. I wish the book had better flow, scenes felt a bit disconnected at times.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many anecdotes from early internet/computer systems entrepreneurs and developers that I was unfamiliar with