Franklin Lecture: Dr. Charlton McIlwain

Join the Franklin Lecture with Dr. Charlton D. McIlwain at the University of Toronto’s Innis College on Tuesday, April 4.

Black Software showcases computing technology’s origin story amidst the turbulent racial confrontations of the 1960s, connecting it to the rise of the Black internet who helped to birth the Internet as we know it through the late 1980s and 1990s.

With The Franklin Lecture, Dr. McIlwain provides an opportunity to bring together the most significant takeaways from the book and arguments never presented in the book—but nevertheless connect computing technology’s past with the prospect of our future will and ability to make technology work in the service of racial equity and opportunity.

Book signing and reception to follow.

Copies of Dr. McIlwain’s book, Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter (2019) will be available for sale at on site through A Different Booklist.

About Charlton D. McIlwain

Dr. McIlwain is a Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and President of the Board of Directors at Data & Society. His scholarly work focuses on the intersections of race, digital media, and racial justice activism. He is the founder of the Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies. In addition to Black Software, he also co-authored the award-winning book, Race Appeal: How Political Candidates Invoke Race In U.S. Political Campaigns.

About the Franklin Lecture 

The Franklin Lecture is held each year at Innis College’s Town Hall in honour of the enduring legacy of Ursula Franklin. In 1984 she became the first woman to be honoured with the title of “University Professor” by the University of Toronto. Dr. Franklin continues to be known for both her significant scientific achievements and her contributions to the humanities and community justice. 

The Franklin Lecture features invited scholars who bring the critical study of science, media, and politics to bear in their visions of new political futures. 

The Franklin Lecture is a collaborative venture between the Knowledge Media Design Institute, the Centre for Culture and Technology, Innis College’s Writing & Rhetoric Program, the Centre for the Study of the United States, the Black Research Network,  and OISE Department of Social Justice Education.