Ruha Benjamin

Israel is still bombing Gaza

The press isn't covering it as much but it's still happening

Read Palestinian Speculative Fiction Reading List The following is a growing reading list for the #ReadPalestinianSpecFic challenge. This is a work in progress to create a list of all available Palestinian speculative fiction. Novels: Novels by Na…

If you’re looking for Palestinian speculative fiction for #ReadPalestine week, I got you: soniasulaiman.com/readpalestin...

ps. writing is my way of metabolizing so that these everyday encounters don’t stay in my body and make me sick, so thx for reading🤲🏾

Better yet, ACT up… like beloved Ms. Satterfield, who has experienced the absolute worst and best of this town and continues to be a beacon for so many of us. www.princetonmagazine.com/shirley-satt...

As Toni Cade urged us: “Don’t leave the arena to the fools.”

So speak up, good people, speak up.

Importantly, those who witnessed the “anti-Semitic” moment looked shell shocked, embarrassed, or oblivious. But none intervened.

Too often, it seems, the malicious are assertive and the good are demure.

Photo of a flyer for “A night for Gaza holiday concert” on December 6 at 7pm at Hopewell train station.

He was followed by someone who shared a fundraiser flyer for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund that his grandkids are helping to organize.

And the remaining convos were uneventful.

Then I turned to the next person, who assured me in hushed tones, “Not ALL of us share his views…” followed by a question about how to address AI with his five grandkids.

“You’re fired” guy cut in front of other pol waiting to talk n I was determined not to let him steal my attn + energy. So I replied:

“We disagree.” Then checked his name tag, “I’ll be sure to tell the university you said I shld be fired.”

(So many things I thought about saying after the fact😶)

YALL. I was debating whether to even post this story, but then I realized I accidentally recorded this conversation!?Which I *never* have the foresight to do in these moments, and so I take it as a sign, or at least a nudge, that I’m supposed to share this ‘day in a life’ encounter with you.

Then, like clockwork, one of the first people to elbow forward after the talk followed the predictable script:

“You mentioned Gaza + Palestine, but no Hamas?! You’re anti-Semitic! And you shouldn’t have been put on probation—you should’ve been fired.”

But to my surprise I was greeted with interested nods, audible affirmations, periodic claps, and thoughtful questions. Kudos to the Old Guard!

Poster of “The Phoenix of Gaza” symposium

Photo of an apartheid wall in Ramallah Palestine with CTRL + ALT + DELETE spray painted in blue on the wall

• Bringing it full circle to Phoenix of Gaza XR—Palestinian technologists using immersive storytelling to resist violent erasure (see gazaxr.com)

Slide of book cover “IBM and the Holocaust” by Edwin Black on the left and an IBM punchcard used to collect “deadly data” on the right

• Linking that technology companies’ role in past atrocities, including IBM’s facilitation of the Nazi Holocaust

Slide of news article headline “Probes Reveal Depth of Big Tech Complicity in Israel’s AI-Driven Gaza Slaughter” underneath a dystopian imagine of a decimated Gazan landscape

So, at the Old Guard, I was expecting some predictable pushback to my discussion of:

• Smart weapons obliterating Palestinian life (see www.commondreams.org/news/big-tec...)

But I’ve been doing this long enough, I’m used to audience glares, ppl walking out, disinvites, and even the president of Harvard ghosting a university-wide lecture + dinner his office invited me to after they presumably did a little “due diligence” digging into my background (see Tanner Lectures😏)

More people than expected chuckled and clapped at the “award.” But there were a few mean mugs too.🤨

After Ms. Satterfield’s intro, I joked with the audience that she left out one thing in my bio: that the university “awarded” me probation for standing with students protesting the Palestinian genocide.

*my gentle content warning for those who might not be familiar with my work and commitments

About 170 Old Guard members gathered at the Jewish Center, their usual meeting place. I recognized a dozen familiar faces from around town and enjoyed catching up before the talk.

Photo of Ruha and Ms. Shirley Satterfield at the Jewish Center of Princeton after Ruha’s lecture

So when one of my favorite people, Princeton public historian Ms. Shirley Satterfield, asked me months ago to speak with the Old Guard, my answer was: “What time?”

…or, like yesterday, visiting a virtual book club hosted by incarcerated readers (whose incisive reflections on Imagination blew me away!). www.liberationlive.org/lets-imagine

Ruha speaking in front of an audience at the Princeton Public Library

…facilitating community conversations at the public library…

Ruha holding a book and reading a story in front of a group of children at the Princeton Community Pool

This is one of many ways over the years that I’ve enjoyed teaching & learning beyond the university—summer storytelling at the community pool…

"The purpose of the organization is to provide its members with an opportunity to enjoy good fellowship, preserve mental alertness, and maintain a lively interest in the arts and sciences as well as in community, national, and world affairs." www.theoldguardofprinceton.org

STORY TIME: A Day in the Life of an (anti)Anti-Semite:

This morning I headed to the Jewish Center of Princeton to speak with the Old Guard of Princeton as part of their fall lecture series.

Wonderful to see @ruha9.bsky.social and @alexvitale.bsky.social joining @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's transition committees!

Pre-ordered!📕

This is why OpenAI is selling so aggressively to education at all levels—they want to create entire generations of users incapable of reading, writing and thinking without ChatGPT to hold their hands

And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is

Committee on Technology Sarah Aoun Ruha Benjamin, Ida B Wells Just Data Lab at Princeton Myaisha Hayes, MediaJustice Noel Hidalgo, BetaNYC Sam Jacobs, Food Fight Lab Katherine Jin, Democratic Socialists of America Amba Kak, AI Now Institute Huge Ma, Turbovax Matt Mitchell ReNika Moore, ACLU Alondra Nelson, Institute for Advanced Study Martha Norrick, Backbone Strategies Julie Samuels, Tech NYC Garfield Swaby, New York Public Library Julie Swoope Democratic Socialists of America Haley Van Dyck Elyse Voegeli, 18F Maia Woluchem, Data & Society

The Mamdani administration’s 17 transition committees: Housing Youth & Education Transportation, Climate & Infrastructure Arts & Culture Community Organizing Community Safety Economic Development & Workforce Development Emergency Response Government Operations Health Immigrant Justice Criminal Legal System Legal Affairs Small Businesses & MWBEs Social Services Technology Worker Justice

Photo of a colorful keffiyeh with a name tag on it that says “Ruha Benjamin, Technology, A NEW ERA for New York City”

Sooo many folks I’m excited to work with on Mamdani’s technology transition committee. All hands on deck to bring the Affordability Agenda to life: childcare, housing, transportation.

While its easy to get swept up in personality, this is a group focused on peoples real needs. LETS KEEP THE FOCUS.

Pleased to see several familiar names on @wired.com's list of Great Tech Books, including @ashleyshoo.bsky.social, @margaretomara.bsky.social & @ruha9.bsky.social.

#histSTM #STS
#histtech #BigTech 🗃️📜