Digital Green Book fights misinformation targeting Black communities

Axios

23-03-2025

As the erasure of Black history intensified — through book bans, assaults on diversity, and digital disinformation — Atlanta-based technologist and strategist Esosa Osa observed it unfold and decided to take action.
Why it matters: Instead of just calling it out, Osa built The Digital Green Book — an AI-powered platform designed to help Black communities spot misinformation, protect their data, and access trusted, culturally informed content.
The big picture: Osa was concerned that Black voices were being suppressed, diversity initiatives were under attack, "woke" was being weaponized, and book bans were raising barriers to historical knowledge.
The Digital Green Book is a roadmap for digital empowerment.
Flashback: The name is a deliberate nod to the Negro Motorist Green Book, the Jim Crow-era guide that helped Black Americans navigate safely through a hostile country.
"We needed a name that instantly communicated to Black folks: this is for you; this has your best interests at heart," Osa, founder and CEO of Onyx Impact, told Axios.
Zoom in: Launched this month, Onyx Impact's platform provides tools to combat misinformation and navigate a challenging digital landscape.
Osa, a former political strategist and financial analyst, founded the organization after working at Fair Fight Action, BlackRock and Morgan Stanley.
Friction point: Researchers and critics have documented how AI systems often reinforce the very stereotypes Black Americans have spent generations trying to dismantle.
Last year, the Congressional Black Caucus warned that without intentional design, AI will deepen racial inequities in hiring, housing, education, and finance — a phenomenon experts call "algorithmic redlining."
A 2023 study by linguist Sharese King found that AI consistently assigned Black language speakers to low-prestige jobs and imposed harsher sentences in hypothetical cases — further entrenching bias.
Yes, and: Osa notes that social platforms don't just reflect public opinion — they shape it. Right now, they're:
But the problem went deeper.
"We are not built to see the same headline 20 times, then the responses, then the reactions to those responses," she says.
She realized the problem wasn't just misinformation—the sheer volume of manipulated content created a false sense of consensus and urgency.
"We've got to tell people—this isn't real life," Osa said. "Forty-two percent of your online content might be bad bots."
Zoom out: The Digital Green Book is designed to cut through the noise and give Black communities control over their digital lives.
What it offers
Misinformation detection – Assists users in recognizing digital manipulation and disinformation in real time.
Data control guidance – Offers clear steps to curate social media feeds and regain ownership of online spaces.
Child safety tools – Empower parents with strategies to shield children from the dangers of social media while fostering digital literacy.
AI-powered knowledge base – A groundbreaking tool trained on Black media and historical sources to provide unbiased answers to questions.
State of play: Osa's team fed the model vetted Black media, historical context, and trusted sources like the NAACP and the Legal Defense Fund.
"You don't want AI to 'figure out' what it means to be Black from the internet—you'll get a horrible product."
The goal: lower the barriers to discernment, making it easier to identify misinformation.
Unlike traditional AI tools that pull from the open web, this system prioritizes Black-led sources and historically accurate information to prevent distortion.
What's next: Osa's vision includes The Digital Green Book and Onyx Impact's initiatives to boost access to Black-led news, enhance digital literacy, and protect users from manipulation.
"We are fundamentally in an information war—and we're losing. We need to understand how to navigate mass propaganda and misinformation now more than ever."