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This #GivingTuesday, CTData is seeking to raise funding to support the Equity in Data Community of Practice.
“The equity in data community practice sessions have been beneficial to me as a community practitioner, by ensuring that I am not being harmful but rather thoughtful and purposeful when looking to collect data. Equity in data has become purposeful and no longer an afterthought.”
What is the Equity in Data Community of practice?
We are a group of data users in Connecticut (mostly) who are supporting one another as we work toward integrating more equitable data practices. We focus on racial equity explicitly but not exclusively.
Each month, we meet to learn about a topic that has been raised in the group. These sessions are sometimes small, with 20 people meeting in small groups to talk about questions we have about integrating equity in our data work.
Other times we invite guests to speak to us about new ideas that we can integrate into our work.
You can learn more about the group here, and about the topics we have explored below.
Who is part of the group?
The Equity in Data Community of Practice is designed to provide support to people in Connecticut who are seeking to integrate equitable principles into our data work. Since our first meeting, over 300 people have signed up for at least one session, and over 170 people have attended at least one session.
Why did this group begin?
When we started this group in June 2020, nothing like this existed. Discussions of equity and injustice had gone mainstream, but there was a dearth of information about how to apply the value of equity into data work.
Given the history of equitable data practices, which are embedded in the way we are all taught about data, we were hungry to find community and talk through the real challenges that we face in doing this work, including the fact that we hadn’t really seen equitable data practices holistically applied into data work anywhere.
Please note that Connecticut Data Collaborative’s legal name is InformCT which will appear in the donation link below.
“The Equity in Data group has been very complimentary to other diversity, equity, and inclusion work I’ve been undertaking this year and has provided a thoughtful platform for discussing the application of these principles in my day-to-day work. I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to connect with like-minded data professionals from Connecticut and beyond.”
“I have found the network, the guest speakers, and the conversations to be really valuable to my work with communities. Equitable wellbeing starts with better questions that are asked by the people who know the most about their own lives and aspirations, and then finding ways we can work together toward our long-term shared interests.”
Why are we seeking funding now?
This group has not had a budget, but based on the growth of and interest in the group, we believe that now is a good time to seek funding to continue to support those who are currently active group members, and be a support to those who would benefit but have not yet found us. In 2022, we would like funding to:
Put into practice our own values and compensate the grassroots guests who speak at our events.
Engage the field’s leading authorities.
Fund the administrative and communications work to ensure that people who would benefit from the group can find it.
At our annual conference, on November 10, 2021, we were able to bring nationally known speakers and authors to present about their report on applying a racial equity lens to data visualization. The registration of 225 people to the event was a clear indication that there is demand for this topic among Connecticut’s data users.
“The group has been an invaluable resource as we look to better capture data about who we serve, with real-world examples of the challenges and opportunities of that process. The information we have learned during these sessions, combined with our internal diversity, equity, and inclusion work, has helped us to collect more inclusive information on gender.”
Please note that Connecticut Data Collaborative’s legal name is InformCT which will appear in the donation link below.