Fisk-Belmont Social Justice Collaborative Hosts 2nd Annual Hackathon
Belmont University and Fisk University collaborated in the 2nd annual Social Justice Data Hackathon April 5.
Diving into swaths of data collected by the Belmont Data Collaborative (BDC), Fisk and Blacks in Technology, 73 total Belmont and Fisk students across five teams spent the day examining how transportation and social determinants of health affects residents of different Nashville neighborhoods. The teams “hacked” at data to find themes about what was causing issues for affected populations and recommended solutions. 
BDC Director Dr. Catherine Bass and Fisk Data, Technology & Information Fellow-In-Residence Lena Winfree spoke about the importance of collaboration to solve the systemic problems faced by our neighbors during the opening remarks of the event.
“We really want to hone in on some of the things we need in this city,” said Winfree. “We want to be spirits of change.”
Winfree set the scene for the students with the hypothetical story of Maya, a hardworking single mother who navigates the harsh realities of Nashville’s public transportation system every day to provide for her family. Some of the issues she and many others in low-income areas face include high commuter costs, unprotected bus stops and a lack of social determinants like accessible grocery stores.
After sharing Maya’s story, Winfree gave the students their goal: “We’re here to help Maya and people like Maya.”
Leveraging their collective talents, skills and passions and finding inspiration from the spirit of innovation that defines Nashville, the students got to work creating their unique solutions.
At the end of the day, the students presented their findings and solutions to an esteemed panel of judges, comprised of:
- Dr. Olivia Bahemuka, professor of nursing at Belmont University
- Dr. Sufyan Baksh, Executive Director of Innovation and professor of business at Fisk University
- Jessica Dauphin, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee
- Dr. David Gregory, Belmont University provost
- Dr. Ricardo Guthrie, professor of social justice at Fisk University
- Dr. Fernando Lima, professor of architecture at Belmont University
- Dr. Bernard Turner, director of the Center from Social Entrepreneurship and professor of social entrepreneurship at Belmont University
Belmont professor of nursing Dr. Andrea Poynter encouraged her students to participate alongside the various majors and disciplines represented at the Hackathon. 
“The Hackathon was an amazing experience not only for me but also for the nursing students,” Poynter said. “It provided the nursing students with a glimpse into how data is used to identify problems, and why nursing should be at the table to help mold how to assess, implement and evaluate the response to issues involving social determinants of health.”
“Team 10 + 4” won the Hackathon, using graph theory to explain how the current WeGo routes are costly and inefficient for bus riders. Introducing Abdel, another hypothetical public transportation user, the group discussed the difficulties he experiences using the current public transportation system.
Abdel is a Syrian refugee. Because Arabic is his first language, he faces challenges from a language barrier. The group also noted the significant time and money required to get from his home in North Nashville to his workplace in South Nashville as a considerable difficulty.
After creating models of different zip codes in Nashville and comparing what their transportation access looked like, the team presented four key suggestions for the judges:
- Create more bus access for different low-income area codes.
- Minimize interchanges to create more efficient routes.
- Provide information in multiple languages.
- Create alternative WeGo Pass application options.
For junior Mathematics and Economics double major Matthew Farnsworth, participating in the Hackathon provided a chance to create real change using data. “The most valuable part is seeing how solutions are brought to the table in the real world,” he said.
As a member of the winning team and a three-time Hackathon participant, Farnsworth also highlighted the unique opportunity to put his team’s solutions in front of legislative change-makers such as the Nashville mayor’s office. 
“The experience is not only rewarding intellectually, but it’s also something where you can walk away and feel accomplished because your solutions are actually given to real people.”
There are plans for the data presented in the Hackathon to be sent to the WeGo board and help plan the next Hackathon.
The Hackathon brings Nashville’s community together to serve the common good and provides an opportunity for Nashville’s students to collaborate and bring about genuine change. The event was sponsored by Belmont University, Fisk University, Blacks in Technology, Belmont Data Collaborative, Black Wealth Data Center, Alteryx, Local Tek, Amazon, Dell and Asurion.