AISP Toolkit Feb25 2025 - Flipbook - Page 64
Racial Equity in Reporting & Dissemination
CENTERING RACIAL EQUITY THROUGHOUT THE DATA LIFE CYCLE
Reporting and dissemination refers to the process of communicating the 昀椀ndings of a project. This
generally involves creating reports, presentations, visualizations, websites, social media content,
artistic displays, or other products that summarize the data and 昀椀ndings, as well as the strategic
use of these products to engage different audiences. Centering racial equity requires designing
products that are engaging and meaningful to the people represented in the data, not just other
data practitioners. Although a static report can convey a lot of information in a simple format, more
creative methods of reporting tend to engage a wider community.
To center racial equity, 昀椀rst consider whom you are speaking to—your intended (and unintended)
audience—and consider whether the design and approach 昀椀ts their preferred communication
style. It’s important to develop a range of products with tailored messaging for these audiences.
Pay attention to the readability and accessibility of any communication format as well to ensure
not only broad appeal but also engagement with the content. For example, a presentation geared
toward the public should follow basic accessibility guidelines, use person-centered language, and
avoid jargon that may be otherwise appropriate for internal program staff or academic audiences. To
ensure that dissemination is accessible and readable, consider using a checklist for plain language,
test readability, and seek out professional translation of materials into languages relevant to your
audience/community.
Beyond accessibility, it is important to be intentional about the framing of data and 昀椀ndings, which
includes language, visualizations, and dissemination methods. Surveilled communities are often
portrayed from a de昀椀cit perspective that reinforces harmful narratives. Using asset-based framing
and intentionally choosing language that explicitly names the impacts of systemic racism, as
opposed to individual or community failings, will help build trust with communities and avoid further
harm. Deliberate choices can go a long way toward shifting narratives, even if they seem simple in
practice. For example, when visualizing data, choose to map negative outcomes in a neutral color,
rather than red. Doing so can decrease stigmatization and avoid reinforcing negative perceptions of
neighborhoods or groups. Likewise, describe barriers and inequities as human-made, using active
rather than passive language (see Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative in the Work in Action section).
Data and 昀椀ndings should be shared in a timely manner with communities who may be impacted by
the results and those who can take meaningful action, which are not separate but rather overlapping
groups. Thoughtful community-facing dissemination can facilitate change with and across different
audiences. It can both encourage individual re昀氀ection and open up dialogue about systemic issues
(see The Folded Map Project). It can also help build bridges to ensure that 昀椀ndings are trusted and
used by those with the most to gain (see Camden Coalition).
Strong dissemination should empower members of the public to dig into the data, ensure
accountability, and bring important issues to light. This requires clear documentation of how an
analysis was conducted and whom to contact with questions. Allow members of the public to see
themselves in the work regardless of their education or experience, by recognizing the value of all
contributions through properly citing the work of others whose methods or ideas you built upon and
giving attribution to all project contributors, especially community partners.
Though reporting and dissemination is the 昀椀nal stage in the data life cycle, the work doesn’t end
here. Sharing insights from the data often serves as a launchpad for new inquiries and creates
opportunities to collaborate with communities to make meaning, shape future directions, and take
action to improve lives.
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