Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CSCW 2023

This year’s CSCW version marks the return of in-person meetings. After three years of hosting this conference using online platforms, we will gather in Minnesota to share, learn, and connect with one another. The COVID-19 pandemic forced groups and communities to rely on online platforms, raising new questions about how these technologies are shaping collaboration and research worldwide. As scholars who study socio-technical systems, our role in examining how these systems set social dynamics and exacerbate inequality and exclusion is more crucial than ever. Therefore, CSCW officially recognizes scholarly contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Through multiple activities and policies, we aim to celebrate the achievements of this diverse community, engage in discussions about how our research efforts can enhance our understanding of DEI within communities, and collaborate on strategies to empower those who have been marginalized. We will organize the following activities to enable diverse groups to thrive and reinforce current ACM/SIGCHI practices aimed at fostering a safe and inclusive environment.

DEI Luncheon

At the CSCW conference, we will host the annual CSCW DEI luncheon to recognize and celebrate the DEI efforts made in, by, and for our community. The luncheon will take place on Monday, November 16, 2023, at 12:30 PM. Given the limited resources, we will host 100 attendees selected in a raffle. If you were selected in the raffle, you should have received an email at this point, and you will receive a ticket to the lunch when you visit the registration desk at the conference. We will have Dr. Sheena Erete (Associate Professor at University of Maryland, see more details below) as our invited speaker and will host a recognition ceremony to highlight this year’s paper recognitions for contributions to diversity and inclusion. Participants will also have discussion in small table groups on topics concerning diversity issues. This event is designed for students, researchers, academics, and industry professionals at any stage of their career.

About the DEI speaker: Dr. Sheena Erete (University of Maryland, College Park)

Her research has won several best paper awards in top venues such as ACM CHI, CSCW, and SIGCSE as well a diversity and inclusion award for her collaborative work dissecting oppression that exists in the field of computing, HCI, and design. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and several philanthropic foundations including the Polk Bros. Foundation, Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation, and McCormick Foundation. She is currently an associate professor in the College of  Information at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she founded and directs the Community Research, Equity & Design (CReED) Collective.

Dr. Erete received Bachelors of Science degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from Spelman College. She received a Masters in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and a Ph.D. in Technology & Social Behavior from Northwestern University.

Visit to the George Floyd Memorial

George Floyd’s death at the hands of police impacted our community in 2020. As this year’s conference is hosted in Minneapolis, we will visit the George Floyd Global Memorial to pay respects and learn more about racial justice. During this visit, community members will be pilgrimage guides and share their experiences behind the spaces and offerings within the memorial. This visit is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 12:00 PM. As a group, we will take public transportation from the conference’s hotel to arrive at the memorial. Lunch will be included, and lunch options will also be available at the memorial. 

Due to the limited seats, please complete this form if you would like to join this activity, and we will reach out with further information.

Providing a safe and inclusive space free of harassment

Diversity of opinion and background is a fundamental strength of our community. The members of our community must have the freedom to espouse and explore a wide range of ideas. Toward this goal, CSCW 2023 aims to create a space where every participant can express themselves without fear of judgment or harassment, and we value your contribution to making that happen.

Acknowledging that members of our community are disproportionately affected by harassment, we took a number of steps to provide a safe conference experience. Please see our community’s code of conduct for more information about our policies. All attendees must review and agree to the ACM Policy Against Harassment. 

If at any time during the conference, you feel threatened or unwelcome, there are multiple people that you can contact to report an incident:

• Contact a member of SIGCHI CARES.
  • SIGCHI CARES exists to serve as a resource for those who experience discrimination and/or harassment around our professional events. CARES supports such individuals by allowing them to work with established members of the SIGCHI community, who are approachable and willing to listen and help navigate the SIGCHI and ACM reporting and accountability process. 
  • You may contact the CARES co-chairs (Celine Latulipe & Michael Muller) at sigchi-cares@acm.org or reach out to the SIGCHI CARES representatives for CSCW, Andrea Grimes Parker at andrea@cc.gatech.edu or Rosanna Bellini at rbellini@cornell.edu.
• Contact the DEI co-chairs (Amy or Diego) at dei2023@cscw.acm.org. 
• Contact a student volunteer who will be able to quickly find us and SIGCHI members.
• Report this incident with the ACM here: https://services.acm.org/harass/harass.cfm 

To ask questions before using the report filing form linked above, or to file a grievance if you believe the policy has been applied in an inequitable way, please contact advocate@acm.org. 

Providing an experience that supports the diversity of our community members

We recognize the people joining our community from different parts of the world (some struggling with visa issues), cultural backgrounds, and abilities and disabilities. At the conference:

• The first floor of the hotel will count as a gender neutral bathroom.
• We will have two designated rooms in the hotel to serve as a Quiet Room and nursing room.
• Attendees will optionally be able to share their pronouns via stickers they can place on their badge at the registration desk.

More questions and details about the in-person accommodations are in the Accessibility Q&A webpage.

All the platforms used for the conference are vetted for accessibility features and hybrid format will be available to allow interactions between remote and in-person attendees. More details about these efforts can be found in the Hybrid Experience page.

Crafting session

Inspired by the work of fempower.tech, we will host a pop-up crafty catch-up and button-making session during the coffee breaks (10:15–10:45 and 2:30–3) on Tuesday, October 17. This is intended as a low key way to meet new people while doing some crafting as a break during sessions. We will provide all the materials needed for this activity. Come look for our sign and table in one of the corners of the open space (Great Lakes Promenade) where people are mingling to get coffee and snacks during the breaks.

2023 Paper Recognitions for Contributions to Diversity and Inclusion

This year, we have recognized 15 papers for their contribution to diversity and inclusion at CSCW. Papers were nominated by reviewers in each submission cycle, and at least two award committee members evaluated the papers. Based on these multiple evaluations, we recognized the following papers:

• Care Workers’ Wellbeing in Data-Driven Healthcare Workplace: Identity, Agency, and Social Justice
  • Yuling Sun (East China Normal University), Xiaojuan Ma (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Silvia Lindtner (University of Michigan), Liang He (East China Normal University)
• Computer-Mediated Sharing Circles for Intersectional Peer Support with Home Care Workers
  • Anthony Poon (Cornell University), Matthew Luebke (Cornell University), Julia Loughman (Tufts University), Ann Lee (1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds), Lourdes Guerrero (David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA), Madeline Sterling (Weill Cornell Medicine), Nicola Dell (Cornell Tech)
• Crossing the Threshold: Pathways into Makerspaces for Women at the Intersectional Margins
  • Sonali Hedditch (University of Queensland), Dhaval Vyas (University of Queensland)
• Honestly I think TikTok has a Vendetta Against Black Creators: Understanding Black Content Creator Experiences on TikTok
  • Camille A. Harris (Georgia Institute of Technology), Amber Gayle Johnson (Georgia Institute of Technology), Sadie Palmer (Georgia Institute of Technology), Diyi Yang (Stanford University), Amy Bruckman (Georgia Institute of Technology)
• How Recent Migrants Develop Trust Through Community Commerce: The Emergence of Sociotechnical Adaptation
  • Joey Chiao-Yin Hsiao (University of Michigan), Sylvia Darling (University of Michigan), Tawanna R. Dillahunt (University of Michigan)
• Oh yes! over-preparing for meetings is my jam 🙂 The Gendered Experiences of System Administrators
  • Mannat Kaur (TU Delft), Harshini Sri Ramulu (The George Washington University), Yasemin Acar (Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy), Tobias Fiebig (Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik)
• Queer Identities, Normative Databases: Challenges to Capturing Queerness On Wikidata
  • Katy Weathington (University of Colorado Boulder), Jed R. Brubaker (University of Colorado Boulder)
• Racial Capitalism Online: Pressures to Perform Race Among Creative Professionals
  • Jaleesa Rosario Turner (University of Michigan), Julie Hui (University of Michigan)
• Reopening, Repetition and Resetting: HCI and the Method of Hope
  • Matt Ratto (University of Toronto), Steven Jackson (Cornell University)
• Social Media and College-Related Social Support Exchange for First-Generation Low-Income Students: The Role of Identity Disclosures
  • Cassidy Pyle (University of Michigan), Nicole B. Ellison (University of Michigan), Nazanin Andalibi (University of Michigan)
• Sustained Harm Over Time and Space Limits the External Function of Online Counterpublics for American Muslims
  • Niloufar Salehi (University of California, Berkeley), Roya Pakzad (Taraaz), Nazita Lajevardi (Michigan State University), Mariam Asad (IUPUI)
• Systemic Gender Inequities in Who Reviews Code
  • Emerson Murphy-Hill (Google), Jillian Dicker (Google), Amber Horvath (Carnegie Mellon University), Margaret M. Hodges (Google), Carolyn D. Egelman (Google), Laurie R. Weingart (Carnegie Mellon University), Ciera Jaspan (Google), Collin Green (Google), Nina Chen (Google)
• The Potential of Diverse Youth in Identifying and Mitigating Algorithmic Bias for a Future of Fair AI
  • Jaemarie Solyst (Carnegie Mellon University), Ellia Yang (Carnegie Mellon University), Shixian Xie (Carnegie Mellon University), Amy Ogan (Carnegie Mellon University), Jessica Hammer (Carnegie Mellon University), Motahhare Eslami (Carnegie Mellon University)
• Towards Equitable Online Participation: A Case of Older Adult Content Creators’ Role Transition on Short-form Video Sharing Platforms
  • Xinru Tang (University of California, Irvine), Xianghua (Sharon) Ding (University of Glasgow), Zhixuan Zhou (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
• Understanding and Designing Multi-level Preventive Medication Support Against HIV for Men who Have Sex with Men in Taiwan
  • Chien Wen (Tina) Yuan (National Taiwan Normal University), Yuan-Chi Tseng (National Tsing Hua University), Carol Strong (National Cheng Kung University)

Diversity and Inclusion Co-Chairs

Please contact dei2023@cscw.acm.org for any questions, ideas, or comments on how we can make this conference work best for you.

Acknowledgment

Funding for the DEI luncheon and the George Floyd Memorial visit is provided by CSCW’s operating budget along with a SIGCHI Development Fund Award. We deeply appreciate their support given the lack of industry funding for DEI events this year at CSCW. 

DEI at CSCW is not just initiated by the DEI co-chairs but is an important consideration affecting every member of the CSCW organizing committee. We acknowledge the work of the many chairs of CSCW, including the General chairs, Accessibility chairs, Awards chairs and Awards committee, Local Arrangements chairs, Hybrid chairs, and Registration chair, among others, towards DEI efforts.