Events

Math and Democracy Seminar Series: Public data & human rights

Speaker: Bailey Passmore (Human Rights Data Analysis Group)

Location: TBA
Videoconference link: https://nyu.zoom.us/s/99330118329

Date: Monday, April 28, 2025

For the last 30 years, the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) has been using statistics and data science to support human rights advocacy campaigns around the world. While our international work typically involves casualty counts and using advanced statistical techniques to estimate undocumented victims, our U.S. work often involves using public data to report human rights violations experienced by those who are still living. Now, the California Racial Justice Act of 2020 has opened up even more opportunities for us to contribute to campaigns for racial justice, particularly for those affected by racial bias in criminal legal proceedings. Since early 2024, HRDAG has been collaborating with public defenders to provide support for RJA claims for their clients. This led to our first time providing expert testimony in a U.S. courtroom in February 2025, when we presented and defended 3 simple statistics based on the District Attorney's case data and county census data. Bailey will discuss the model HRDAG uses for obtaining and analyzing public data to address local human rights concerns, as well as their experience working on an RJA case.