Photo of Brandi Collins-Dexter, a Black woman with curly hair, sitting outside wearing a black shirt

Brandi Collins-Dexter

Brandi Collins-Dexter researches, writes, and presents on issues pertaining to Black participation in democracy and the US economy, with particular focus on the role technology and information integrity play in improving or deteriorating community health. As former Senior Campaign Director of media, culture and economic justice at Color Of Change, she led a number of successful and highly visible campaigns for corporate and government accountability and has also worked extensively with Silicon Valley companies on key corporate policy changes. Collins-Dexter has testified in front of congress on matters relating to online privacy, racialized surveillance and information integrity, and is a regular commentator in the media on racial justice and tech. Her critically acclaimed book Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future, uses a combination of pop culture analysis, digital ethnography and investigative journalism to understand the history and trajectory of Black political, economic and social power in the United States. As a Schuster Fellow at the Shorenstein Center she conducted research on the intersections of media, race, and technology.

Brandi Collins-Dexter, a Black woman wearing glasses and a brown shirt, smiles on stage at the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School. The words "Remembering our friend and colleague Brandi Collins-Dexter" are superimposed over the image.

Remembering Brandi Collins-Dexter

Brandi Collins-Dexter was a dynamic, visionary, courageous scholar whose work melded the study of race, media, history, and social justice into a unique lens for understanding today’s world. She was a member of the Shorenstein Center’s research community for nearly six years, as a visiting fellow, associate research director, and Schuster Media & Technology fellow.

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“Is she electable, though?” Gender Bias in the Media

A timely panel discussion about how the media has seeded, promoted, and occasionally knocked down bias, sexism, and misogynoir in public discussions about female politicians, and what the research says about how this coverage has changed in recent years (if at all). This event was co-sponsored by the Women and Public Policy Program at HKS.

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Canaries in the Coal Mine: COVID-19 Misinformation and Black Communities

Even as Black people are disproportionately dying from the virus due to systemic racism, harmful inaccuracies about COVID-19 are metastasizing in Black online spaces. Using multi-site digital ethnography, Shorenstein Center Fellow Brandi Collins-Dexter tracked and identified the spread of this disinformation, and makes recommendations on how to combat it.

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Shorenstein Center Announces Fall 2019 Fellows

This semester the Shorenstein Center will welcome five new fellows to campus to conduct research and engage with students and the Harvard Kennedy School community. Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs says, “We are excited to welcome such a fascinating group of Fall fellows to the Shorenstein center, with a broad range of experience across media,

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Brandi Collins-Dexter, a Black woman wearing glasses and a brown shirt, smiles on stage at the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School. The words "Remembering our friend and colleague Brandi Collins-Dexter" are superimposed over the image.

Remembering Brandi Collins-Dexter

Brandi Collins-Dexter was a dynamic, visionary, courageous scholar whose work melded the study of race, media, history, and social justice into a unique lens for understanding today’s world. She was a member of the Shorenstein Center’s research community for nearly six years, as a visiting fellow, associate research director, and Schuster Media & Technology fellow.

Read More »

“Is she electable, though?” Gender Bias in the Media

A timely panel discussion about how the media has seeded, promoted, and occasionally knocked down bias, sexism, and misogynoir in public discussions about female politicians, and what the research says about how this coverage has changed in recent years (if at all). This event was co-sponsored by the Women and Public Policy Program at HKS.

Read More »

Canaries in the Coal Mine: COVID-19 Misinformation and Black Communities

Even as Black people are disproportionately dying from the virus due to systemic racism, harmful inaccuracies about COVID-19 are metastasizing in Black online spaces. Using multi-site digital ethnography, Shorenstein Center Fellow Brandi Collins-Dexter tracked and identified the spread of this disinformation, and makes recommendations on how to combat it.

Read More »

Shorenstein Center Announces Fall 2019 Fellows

This semester the Shorenstein Center will welcome five new fellows to campus to conduct research and engage with students and the Harvard Kennedy School community. Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs says, “We are excited to welcome such a fascinating group of Fall fellows to the Shorenstein center, with a broad range of experience across media,

Read More »