Your Journey to Centering Racial Equity
A Companion Workbook to
AISP’s A Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration
Who We Are
This workbook is designed as a companion to A Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration. These activities have been developed and refined through almost two decades of site-based technical assistance in supporting the development of shared data infrastructure with an emphasis on the IDS quality components— governance, legal, technical, capacity, and impact. Many of these activities feature prominently in AISP’s Equity in Practice Learning Community (EiPLC). You can access the full scope and sequence for the EiPLC here.
You can learn more about the AISP team and the AISP Equity Fellows here.
Suggested Citation:
Hawn Nelson, A., Algrant, I., Lewis, B., Jenkins, D., Paull, K., et al. (2025). Your Journey to Centering Racial Equity: A Companion Workbook to AISP’s A Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration. Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania. https://www.aisp.upenn.edu/centering-equity/
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Recommitting to Racial Equity in Hostile Times
We acknowledge:
The grief and the gain:
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"Those of us committed to racial justice, democracy, and mutual well-being know that safety does not come from hatred; it comes from solidarity with all who yearn for a world centered on mutual care and concern."
Tema Okun
The rest of Kim Paull’s advice for committing to “The Why” here on slide 3
Get Going!
Why this Workbook
This workbook is designed to be used, reused, shared, and altered. Make your own copy and do with it as you please. Take what is helpful, leave what is not. Don’t be afraid to push past your comfort zone, dream big, and then start small. Ultimately, we hope this helps you take actionable steps to make practical change. Remember, “little strokes fell great oaks” - Benjamin Franklin.
For nearly two decades, we've provided site-based technical assistance to government agencies and their research partners for ethical and effective public data use, and we've learned this work is slow and complex. This workbook is a starting point, designed to help bring about action. We believe the perfect should never prevent action toward progress and creating something better than the status quo. Wherever you are, however you come to this work, and whenever you got here, welcome.
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Note: Make a copy (file → make a copy) and you have your own version to edit, fill in, and change as you wish.
Check out the video introduction to the workbook if you have questions
External Reflection
As you think about your work:
What aspects of the toolkit will be useful for your organization?
How does your organization react to conversations about race, racism, and equity?
Internal Reflection
As you read the toolkit:
What suggestions feel feasible?
What suggestions feel uncomfortable?
What seems like wishful thinking?
What section(s) of the toolkit feel most relevant to you?
What lesson(s) will you take with you?
What does not feel relevant?
What questions are you left with?
What is one thing you personally will do to center racial equity in your work?
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Note: Reflection is an ongoing process. Use these questions as you read the toolkit, after you have read it, or a combination of both.
Behavior Norms
Conversation Norms
Reflection Norms
Before Starting Any Activity:
Co-Create Discussion Norms
Hold space for silence
Take what you need, ask for what you need
Assume best intent, acknowledge harm, and work to repair
Use “I” statements
Listen actively and respectfully
When in doubt, ask
Language is powerful - use words carefully and intentionally
Respect confidentiality
We learn from each other
Discomfort is a part of the process - embrace it
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Note: Norms should be created together with the people being engaged. These are great examples, but it is important to curate them to your context.
This Workbook Has 2 Main Parts
Exercises and activities to examine history and power to then create a more equitable vision for the future
Project-specific activities to actualize equity
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Part 1: Laying the Groundwork
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Part 1 Table of Contents
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Essential Questions:
Evaluate and build organizational readiness to support data practices that center racial equity and incorporate community voice.
Take a Look at the
Micro, Mezzo, and Macro
Throughout this toolkit there are activities that work to dismantle structures of bias at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. In order to dismantle harmful practices and uses of data at the macro level, we have to simultaneously dismantle our own biases and norms at the micro level & within our communities and workplaces at the mezzo level. As you approach these activities, try to engage with the structures and practices at all three levels.
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Watch: Tawana Petty’s poetry at her FRED talk here
Define Your Terms
Evaluate Your Readiness
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Start Here!
Some terms to get you started:
Note: Defining terms establishes a shared understanding for interest holders & interrogates underlying assumptions. For more on building readiness see Ch. 1, Foundations for Community Involvement in the Toolkit
&
Play White Supremacy BINGO
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Directions: Review each box, if the aspect of white supremacy culture or the culture of combating white supremacy shows up in your work or personal life, check on or both of the corresponding shapes:
Work or organization practice or culture
Personal practice or culture
After completing the sheet, consider the following:
II. Getting Grounded
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Essential Questions:
Investigate and document the racialized history of relevant
programs, policies, and place.
Crafting a History of Place:
An Invitation to Dig Deeper
To better understand the context of our data, we first work to gain a deeper understanding of the historical and current racial inequities our organizations are situated within.
Do research, *ask questions*, share what you find, and invite others on this journey with you
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See next slide for examples
Some Examples
Interrogating Structures
Histories of Place
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Think about this tree as your organization, collaborative, & community, consider…
Where is the tree?
How was the tree planted?
Who planted the tree?
What is in the soil?
What is in the air?
What is in the water?
Where is the water coming from?
Who tends to the tree?
Is there anything stealing nutrients from the tree? Any pests?
What direction is the tree growing in?
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III. Creating Shared Vision
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Envision the use of shared data infrastructure as a tool
to work for equity and justice.
Essential Questions:
Envision
Now that you have a deeper understanding of your site’s historical connection to inequity and the fight for equity, it’s time to create a vision for where you want to go.
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What is your vision for how data can be used to center racial equity?
Chart the Course (Meditation Activity pt. 1)
Supplies - paper, pen (or markers), timer
Take 5 -10 mins allow yourself to relax - Here’s a 5-10 min breathing meditation video
Prompt: 10 years from now, you/your site is being acknowledged for the ways y’all have used data to shift the conditions of the communities most impacted or served by your formation, consider the following:
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Chart the Course (pt. 2)
Now take some time to write or draw out what you've envisioned. Working backwards from 10 years in the future, what will be accomplished by year 7? What are the year 3 milestones? What is needed now to help create those futures?
Guiding questions-
Does the starting place you’ve identified excite you?
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In 10 Years
In 7 Years
In 3 Years
We Need This Now
Chart the Course Worksheet
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In 10 Years
In 7 Years
In 3 Years
We Need This Now
Now, Articulate & Share Your Vision
In one paragraph or less, write your vision statement, and find someone to share it with. with.
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What is the FOR and WHY?
Who benefits from the engagement, integrated data,
and your push for equity?
What would this change, really?
Do you have the ability to make the shift you envision? Or is it an overreach?
Who are you doing this for?
Did they tell you they wanted this? Did you ask? Are you prepared to hear “no”?
What are the benefits in real time, today, tomorrow, next week?
If you cannot identify benefits, should you be engaged in this?
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IV. Building Your Equity Ideology
Articulate your guiding principles for centering racial equity
throughout data integration.
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Values help us determine our principles
Principles help ground our decisions, assessments, and can help us move through conflict
Commitments help provide clarity on how we will show-up inside of our values
Culture is created by the continued practice of being inside our values and commitments
Essential Questions:
Build Your Equity Ideology
In order to bring your vision into fruition, you must first establish your equity ideology - principles, values, commitments, culture, and relationships- which will act as the foundation as you build towards your vision.
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Values - fundamental truths or propositions that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.
Vision - The shared idea around what it is you are trying to accomplish and why
(see previous section).
Principles - standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life; to consider (someone or something) to be important or beneficial; have a high opinion of (may not be true for everyone).
Commitments - agreements or a pledge to do something in the future or in practice in order to uphold and be in alignment with your principles.
Culture - is a set of beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics shared by groups of people.
Relationships - the relationships that support me in reaching this vision are…
Essential Questions to articulate your principles, values, commitments, and culture
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Values - What are values that grounds your work?
Vision - Restate your vision
Principles - What is a principle you have as it relates to your work? (i.e., Based on my values, a principle I have is…)
Commitments - What is one commitment you have that will help you show up in your value? (i.e., To honor my principles, I commit to…)
Culture - What is a culture shift that will/can be created as a result of you being in alignment with your values & commitments? (i.e., As a result of my work, this cultural aspect will become a norm.)
Relationships - What is a culture shift that will/can be created as a result of you being in alignment with your values & commitments? (i.e., The relationships that support me in reaching this vision are…)
Ways to share your ideology
If you completed this section by yourself:
Note: take your time and allow each section to have the time it needs to gain deep alignment. This is the foundation, so don’t skip out on building something strong.
Synthesize + Document. Document your shared vision & ideology and allow it to be the guide post for your work moving forward.
If you want to complete this section as a team:
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V. Understanding Power
Everyone has some form of power, we just need clarity on what it is.
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Essential Questions:
What is Power?
Power is the ability to wield influence reliably over time – that is, to influence or direct behavior and events with regularity and precision. - Partnership Fund
Possession of control, authority, or influence over others. - Merriam-Webster
How do you define power?
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How is power defined?
The following slides provide frameworks to help you get clear on how power operates in your personal context.
Power exists in various forms and is not a stagnant thing. For example, someone could have high decision making power in their personal life, as a caregiver or parent, but in their work life, have little or no decision making power at all.
It is up to us to determine our relationship to power, how we want to use it to accomplish our goals, and ways we can show up to share the power and access we have.
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For more musings on power watch Andy Wallace’s Ted Talk
Types of Power
There are many types of power, below are some of the most commonly occurring forms
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Social:
Mass engagement, social media, networks, communities, and groups
Narrative:
Telling one’s own story (community, issues, individual, etc.)
Disruptive:
The ability to disrupt “business as usual” to make an intervention
Economic:
The ability to mobilize money, capital, resources
Governing:
The ability to influence decision makers, and create, shape, and influence agendas on all levels
Political:
Civic engagement, elected officials, shared political assessment and alignment
Relational:
The ability to leverage relationships to persuade an outcome
Power isn’t always expressed in the same ways
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Visible power - power that plays out in formal decision making processes, this form of power is easily identifiable.
example - governance structures (boards, committees), executive leadership, managers
Expressions of Power
People power - is expressed through the people we organize, advocate on behalf of, and work with, or advocate for.
example - Data sets that say programs aren't working, program evaluations, public protest, boycotting
Institutional power - the ability of institutions to control resources, people, and their actions.
example - employment practices, lobbying, curriculum design, gatekeeping
Hidden Power - is the power to set, influence agendas, and outcomes with little visibility. Decision making processes are hidden.
example - policies focused on protecting the institution rather than the work and the people; undisclosed conflicts of interests; opaque funding sources
Relational Power Types
All forms of power are situated in relationship, power doesn't exist without it
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Power With | Mutually accountable relationships that center interdependence and communication. Maintains awareness and responsibility |
Power Over | The person/institution has the ability to change or impact something without avenues of accountability |
Power Under | Allowing/inviting an overextension of authority into areas that the person/institution does not have authority. Not believing in the ability of choice or honoring boundaries in-order to please |
Uncontested Power | Power that exists due to low engagement, contest, or inquiry. Could be created as a result of traditional practices or culture |
Unaddressed Power | Power structures that are not clearly defined and ambiguous |
Relational Power Types
Complete this chart for yourself/site to identify existing power relationships
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Power With | |
Power Over | |
Power Under | |
Uncontested Power | |
Unaddressed Power | |
Power Mapping
Adapted from Southern Vision Alliance, Loan Tran
This SuperHero Activity can be used to both develop a shared identity for your team/site and map the collective strengths, relationships, opposition, and cultures that can help or hinder your equity journey.
We invite you to do this individually and collectively to test your alignment and shared understanding of who has power and the culture that may need to shift to help you reach your equity goals.
Power Mapping is a visual exercise that helps individuals and collectives evaluate relationships, and identify opportunities for growth and deeper collaboration.
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Mapping Power & Alignment
High Alignment & Low Influence
Community members or coworkers who support the vision but lack decision-making power.
Ex: community members, co-workers
High Alignment & Influence
Ideal collaborators who share the vision and possess significant influence.
Ex: coalitions, your team
Low Alignment & High Influence
Key decision-makers or gatekeepers who hold power but may require engagement to align with the vision.
Ex: powerful gatekeepers, policy makers, co-workers, etc.
Low Alignment & Low Influence
Peripheral interest holders such as secondary data users or those from unrelated sectors.
Ex: secondary data users, partners from sectors not represented in the IDS
High Influence
Low Influence
High Alignment (Shared Vision)
Low Alignment (Shared Vision)
This diagram provides a framework for analyzing partners based on their alignment with shared goals or vision (horizontal axis) and their level of influence (vertical axis).
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Map the alignment within your site
High Alignment & Low Influence
High Alignment & Influence
Low Alignment & High Influence
Low Alignment & Low Influence
High Influence
Low Influence
High Alignment (Shared Vision)
Low Alignment (Shared Vision)
Questions for Consideration
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VI. Identifying Your Roles
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Essential Questions:
The best teams are diverse and filled with different assets and skill sets. Communicating what you and your collaborators bring to the “table” will allow you to work together towards your vision.
What’s in a Team?
These next 2 slides show 18 “archetypes” we tend to see in this work.
The Peacemaker:
Ensures everyone can work together - disagreements, power struggles, and all
The Hammer:
Willing to say hard things aloud and make hard choices
The Moneybags:
Someone who has access to and authority to allocate resources
The Contrarian:
Willing to bring up oppositional opinions, argue, or play devil’s advocate
The Lorax:
They speak for the trees! An advocate for a vulnerable community or entity
The Cat Herder:
Someone who wrangles together necessary parties when they’re all going in different directions
IT Support:
Someone who handles the small technical issues
Captain:
Leads the way, steering the day to day to meet big picture goals
The Graphic Designer:
Keen eye for visual details, often in charge of presentation decks and communications
What’s in a Team?
Part 2
The Time Keeper:
Ensures that meetings, presentations, etc. are a reasonable length and running on time
The Librarian:
Manages resources, archives, websites, etc.
The Worker Bee:
Gets things done, working the to do list, building process and maintaining documentation
The Rabbit Hole Explorer:
Goes down rabbit holes, exploring, digging deep into niche topics
The Decider:
The tie-breaker, the one ultimately holding accountability for actions. The buck stops with them!
The Hospitality Chair:
Makes sure everyone feels cared for
The Social Chair:
Organizes social time and team events and likely has strong opinions on food
The Institutional Memory:
Has been around long enough to remember why something didn't work last time. Ensures organizational history and relationships get passed down.
The Visionary:
Sees the big picture or designs an ideal state
Noticing Overlap?
This is an art not a science.
Choose as many as you feel apply, with an eye towards how team mates might also see you. If you are the visionary and not the decider - that’s ok, every team has their own way of working. This is designed to illuminate team dynamics and help you ensure many talents and perspectives are brought to the hard work of building shared data infrastructure across siloed systems.
Leading the Activity
Virtual
In-Person
Find the team roles here
Note: this is a great ice breaker for the beginning of a meeting or convening, encourage people to keep their stickers throughout the event - it helps you all think about how to engage with each other.
Part 2 : Building the Infrastructure
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Part 2 Table of Contents
VII. Administrative
VI. Data Discovery
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Now that you are ready to build an engagement project, revisit your foundations, and tailor them to a specific project or system.
Essential Questions on the next slide
Are we creating shared language & understanding?
Are we starting with a historical analysis?
Are we naming racism & White Supremacist cultures?
Are we sharing our thoughts and perspectives?
Are we leaning into transparency & accountability
Are we being principled or flexible?
Are we saying the hard things?
Are we asking direct questions?
Are we listening?
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Essential Questions
Mission
What is your organization’s core purpose? How does that align with the project? What problems are you trying to solve? Who are you trying to help? What are your main activities?
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Defining Your Project Goals
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Outcomes & Success
What are your intended results or outcomes over time? What does success look like? How will you inspire? Think blue sky.
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Alignment
How is what you’re proposing in alignment with your vision, shared values, and commitments? Who will help hold you/your site accountable with the mission and vision you are working towards? How will you know you are on track or out of alignment?
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II. Setting the Table
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Determine how community partners, community members, and government will learn and work together. Determine how partners will be mutually accountable for using integrated data to inform, co-create, and evaluate policies and practices for equity.
Essential Questions:
Utilize The Spectrum of Community Engagement (next slide)
Meaningful engagement occurs when partners are able to have true influence over the design and direction of a data integration effort and the way it is used. The Spectrum offers a series of alternatives to tokenization, but this does not (and likely cannot) happen all at once. We acknowledge that the table is limiting; however, it is often a meaningful first step. The goal is to get on the spectrum and move to the right, and maybe over time you can throw out the table to host a cookout instead.
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Image used with permission.
Gonzalez, R. (2020). The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership. Facilitating Power.
Questions to Consider
Where do you think your organization/project falls now?
Are you considering the community you aim to serve?
Are they involved in your process?
Is their input centered? valued?
What can you do to move right on the spectrum?
We suggest setting a table for interested partners, including those represented in the data. Use the spectrum as a guideline for thinking through how this table(s) can impact your work.
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"It is not enough to be at the table—we must remake the table itself," Ruha Benjamin (p. 271)
Our Tables
What tables are needed to inform your data governance? Executive level table? Data stewards table? Community-based organization table? Table specifically for residents?
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See here for examples of governance structures in the AISP Network
Set Reasonable Expectations
Remember to consider your organization’s readiness for community involvement (see Toolkit Chapter 1) as you think through how to design the table(s).
The following questions and considerations have been adapted from AISP and Future of Privacy Forum’s Nothing to Hide: Tools for Talking (and Listening) About Data Privacy for Integrated Data Systems.
Timeline:
Budget:
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Set Reasonable Expectations (con’t)
Capacity for change:
Staff capacity:
Do you or partners have staff . . .
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Identifying Interest-holders
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Critical: | |
Important: | |
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Priority | Encourage Participation | Keep Informed |
Critical: | | |
Important: | | |
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Name | Experience with the issue | Demographic relationship to the issue | Direct engagement with the issue | Geographic relationship to the issue |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
Identifying Interest-holders
Note: make as many copies of this slide as you need, this is a helpful exercise to complete with staff members in mind
Remember…
Community engagement must be inclusive of diversity in race, language, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and ability. Keep the following in mind as you plan your engagement activities:
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Gathering the Table
Here are some tips and further reading for modeling equity at your table:
Once it is time to gather at the table, establish expectations and model a commitment to equity during all interpersonal engagement as well as structured activities and conversation. Providing guidance and setting that expectation for all participation early on will allow for helpful conflict resolution and reduce harm in the future.
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Useful Resources
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Celebrate community and the effort you are putting toward growth and change. A culture of appreciation is built when an organization takes time to appreciate the work and efforts of all involved and promotes sustainable, meaningful partnership over time.
Check out the AISP Equity in Practice Learning Community Resource List
Thinking Beyond the Table
Tap into AI: Ancestral Intelligence and host a Cookout, visioning the “future we can create together: The Cookout as a Black and indigenous platform for reimagining supply chains for stories and knowledge” from Dr. Aymar Jèan Christian and the Media and Data Equity Lab (MADE).
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"It is not enough to be at the table—we must remake the table itself," Ruha Benjamin (p. 271)
III. Evaluating Risk vs. Benefit
Review “Assessing Risk & Benefit” - Toolkit pages 13-15
Evaluate intended and unintended consequences with your table or team so you can work to mitigate identified harms.
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Essential Questions:
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Reviewing the
1. Is it legal? | 2. Is it ethical? | 3. Is it a good idea? |
What legal authority is in place to use these data? Are there federal or state statutes that prevent or constrain this data access or use? What are the particular state and federal law requirements enabling data sharing? | Do the benefits outweigh the risks, particularly for groups historically marginalized by discriminatory systems? | What action can be taken as a result of this data use? What can reasonably be changed or improved based upon this analysis? Is this a priority among marginalized populations and/or individuals included in the data system? |
4. How do we know? Who decides? | ||
This is typically determined by agency-involved legal counsel. | This is typically determined by a data governance group, during the review process for data requests, that should include a variety of partners, those “in” the data and users of the data. | This is typically determined by a data governance group, including data stewards who have deep expertise of the data owners who will respond to insights that emerge from the analysis. |
When embarking on a data project, the initial question partners typically ask is, “Is this legal?” But while this is often the first question, it is the lowest bar. We strongly encourage you to grapple with broader considerations to help you decide, with your team, whether and how to move forward with a data project. We recommend asking the same four questions throughout all stages of this work.
Evaluating
Risk vs. Benefit
As you consider whether a project is legal, ethical, and a good idea, bring together your team (whether it is a table, a cookout, or some other collective). As a group, think about the potential risks and benefits - it can be helpful to use this matrix. On the next few slides, there are examples for you and your governance team to evaluate together.
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Identifying Open, Protected, and Unavailable Data
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Open Data | Protected Data | Unavailable Data |
Data that can be shared openly, either at the aggregate or individual level, based on state and federal law. These data often exist in open data portals. | Data that can be shared, but only under specific circumstances with appropriate safeguards in place. | Data that cannot or should not be shared, either because of state or federal law, lack of digital format (paper copies only), or data quality or other concerns. |
Evaluating
Risk vs. Benefit for Open Data
Where would you place each on the matrix?
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Evaluating
Risk vs. Benefit for Protected Data
How about these?
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How about your project(s)?
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IV. Refining
Reconsider your mission, vision, and guiding principles now that community members have become involved in your process.
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Essential Questions:
Refined Mission
What is your core purpose? What problems are you trying to solve? Who are you trying to help? What are your main activities?
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Refined Vision
What are your intended results or outcomes over time? What does success look like? How will you inspire? Think blue sky.
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Refined Guiding Principles (always in progress)
What are the shared values that will guide you to reach your mission and vision?
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Vision, Mission, & Guiding Principles
(most current draft)
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Vision:
Mission:
Guiding principles:
V. Power + Decision Making
Using the RAPID Framework determine how power and responsibility are allocated.
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Essential Questions:
How do interested parties factor into the decision-making process?
The RAPID framework is a possible option to clarify who has ultimate authority and responsibility, while also also giving weight to the opinions and ideas of other interested parties.
Recommend: the driver of the process, “go to,” the forward momentum
Agree: ensure that recommendation meets required criteria, has veto power
Perform: carry out the decision once it is made
Input: expertise that is considered in the recommendation (helpful to have overlap with Perform)
Decide: the final authority, commits the group to the final decision
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Breaking Down Responsibility
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Example tasks | Recommender: Gathering relevant information to inform decision | Approver: Input reflected in final proposal | Performer: Implement the decision | Input: Provide expertise and experience | Decider: Makes the final decision |
Governance committee membership approval | | | | | |
Data license request approval | | | | | |
Ensuring compliance with rules and regulations | | | | | |
Infrastructure maintenance | | | | | |
Making changes to data security policies and procedures | | | | | |
VI. Racial Justice and the Data Lifecycle
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Affirmatively integrating racial justice and community into the data lifecycle at key moments (pre-planning, planning, collection, and analysis).
Essential Questions on the next slide
Essential Questions
How will a racial equity lens be incorporated throughout the data life cycle?
What pre-work has been done with policy leaders, agency directors, department staff, and front-line employees to prepare them for this work?
How will the collaborative ensure that the benefits of data integration outweigh the risks?
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Pre-Work - Why & What
Planning - How
Step 1: What is the plan to include community through the inquiry process?
Step 2: What decisions were these data intended to support? Who makes the decisions?
Step 3: How does your power mapping and the racial history of places, programs, and policies inform how communities perceive and react to the planning + data collection?
Step 4: How will your data work inform decisions and share power?
Step 5: What datasets are you going to need to effectively address the community need? Who is represented by these datasets? Who is not? Why? Are there any risks to collecting certain data (e.g., citizenship data)?
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Step 1: What need has the community shared?
Step 2: Can data address that need? (Remember: sometimes it can’t)
Step 3: How can data drive action for improvement?
Step 4: Do you have the necessary community support? Staff support? Political support?
Data Collection
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Whether you collect new data tailor-made for the purpose or reuse existing data, make sure the data accurately reflect the community you are seeking to support and are sufficiently complete, recent, and validated.
For more see RELD/SOGIE on page 33 in the Toolkit
Step 1: How and by whom are the data collected? Where might bias be introduced into that process? Is the collection process/tool accessible? How does the user experience affect the data/responses?
Step 2: How was the collection instrument designed? How were questions ordered? Were they intimidating? Which were required? What happens if required questions were not answered? How are non-responses coded in general?
Step 3: What happens after the data are collected? How are responses transcribed into data? Who is responsible for the transcription? What context do they have/prioritize?
Step 4: What data are necessary to answer your question? Do you need all of it?
Step 5: Are there patterns of missingness or “other” responses? How are these responses coded? Are the response options limiting, reinforcing power structures, or erasing identities?
Step 6: How do these data compare to local, state, or national demographic patterns? Who is over/underrepresented? What might have caused these patterns?
Step 7: Are data integrity issues known and documented? Could problematic elements be improved by engaging a broader team?
Data Analysis
Step 1: Review your power map and racial history, what influences the results you are about to see?
Step 2: Who is on the team: analysis, review, community table? Are any roles missing? How will community members guide the analysis to mitigate harm and data deficits?
Step 3: Does the analysis bring out any deficits or red flags in the prior steps? Does the analysis highlight data quality issues?
Step 4: What historical, structural, or systemic factors have affected the analysis results? Ultimately acknowledging these impacts are the whole point!
Step 5: Do the data serve community-identified needs? Does the framing of the analytic results serve the community identified needs? Do results do anything? Is it causing harm or retraumatizing? Is it productive or driving action toward positive change for those represented in the data?
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Curious about using Algorithms & AI learn more about AI and (the lack of) regulation here
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Slide made by Kim Paull for the Equity in Practice Learning Community
Use BUILD’s workbook: Data, Leadership and Racial Equity: Building Inclusive and Racially Equitable Early Childhood Systems as a starting point.
Practice Data Leadership
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Preferred Citation:
Stewart, S. K. & Stover Wright, M. (December 2024).
Data, Leadership and Racial Equity: Building Inclusive
and Racially Equitable Early Childhood Systems, Equity
Leaders Action Initiative, the Build Initiative,
VII. Administrative Frameworks
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Outline how your team relates to each other with these frameworks recommended by the Toolkit Workgroup
The 6 (7) Circle Model - This model will help cut through the noise and evaluate organizational success in both technical and relational aspects.
Person-Role-System Framework - A framework for effective leadership and transformational change
You’ve read the toolkit… Now what?
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Having Hard Conversations with Colleagues and Partners
Resources for Tough Conversations
Guide for Handling Conflict when Disagreements Arise
Understand the norms of White Supremacy culture and begin pivoting away from them
Articles, books, frameworks, and strategies for divorcing White Supremacy culture - we all have something to unlearn
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Quick Links
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