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Patricia Garcia examines the complex relationship between race, gender, computing, and justice. She collaborates with public librarians and conducts action-based design research to create computational justice programs that support youth as active decision-makers leveraging computing for individual and collective action. Grounded in the theories of transformative justice, her programs contextualize historical forms of community injustice while supporting youth in situating computing within their identities and broader positive self-concepts. She highlights the intersections of race and gender as sources of power rather than merely sites of marginalization. Additionally, Garcia investigates the data practices used in public service contexts that perpetuate oppression and marginalization of vulnerable populations. Through her findings, she designs educational interventions that empower these populations in decision-making processes, facilitating greater control over their data.
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science