Speaker

Mikki Kendall

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Mikki Kendall, a writer and occasional feminist divides her time between two careers, a family, and brunch. The last is necessary to provide the energy she needs for everything else on her to-do list. Her writing can be found at the Washington Post, Ebony, Essence, XO Jane, Salon, NPR’s Code Switch, Guardian, and a host of other places willing to let her rant on topics ranging from feminism to police brutality to pop culture. She also commits occasional acts of fiction largely focusing on black people in every situation under the sun, and a few under undefined celestial bodies.
Chicago, IL June 10, 2017
Surveillance state, race, and disability
Images of violence

A look at the impact on marginalized communities as a result of online and offline surveillance. I'll talk about the ways surveillance can be harmful, the ways it has been occasionally helpful in specific situations and the risks of relying on it. I'll talk about the ways that surveillance is held forth as a way to prevent misconduct by police and other authority figures, as well as the ways it is misused by agencies to target activists.
Chicago, IL August 8, 2015
The Harassment Game: Cyberbullying for Adults
threats of violence, sexual assault

Traditionally we think of bullying as something that happens to kids and teens in school. Cyberbullying is a relatively new concept, yet it has been happening since the creation of the modern internet. Adults are using the internet to plan and carry out mass campaigns of harassment. Whether the discussion of 4Chan, Reddit, or GamerGate the same screen names tend to be at the forefront even if their followers change. Why is the Harassment Game so prevalent, what's making it fun for them to continue playing at the expense of relationships, careers, and sometimes freedom?