The University of California, Berkeley’s Sociology Department has selected Alex Hanna as its Commencement speaker, a choice sparking considerable discussion.
Hanna’s research centers on the potential for artificial intelligence to amplify existing societal inequalities, specifically focusing on how data collection and implementation can disproportionately impact marginalized groups based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
Beyond research, Hanna actively supports LGBTQ+ advocacy through initiatives like the “Alex and Demiana Hanna Pride Scholarship” established at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, providing financial aid to sociology students dedicated to LGBTQ+ activism.
Prior to the commencement address, Hanna held teaching positions at UC Berkeley, leading courses that explored the intersection of technology, power, and social justice.
Course topics included critical examinations of technological surveillance impacting Black communities and the experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals within bureaucratic systems.
Hanna also serves as a senior fellow at the Center for Applied Transgender Studies, an organization dedicated to translating academic research into tangible action for transgender rights and understanding.
This selection arrives amidst a broader national conversation regarding the teaching of systemic issues in education, with some states, like Florida, implementing frameworks that restrict instruction on systemic racism and oppression.
The choice of Hanna as commencement speaker signals Berkeley’s continued commitment to exploring complex social issues and fostering critical dialogue within its academic community.
The university appears poised to use the platform of its commencement ceremony to highlight research and perspectives challenging conventional understandings of power and inequality.
