© Marquis Victor x Nicole Garcia | Elevated Thought

Transparency & Accountability disrupting COMMUNITY

Broadening definitions of data

Transparency and accountability impact communities by changing what types of information are valued as data. Alternative definitions of data recenter outcomes on what communities see as assets and where explicit deficits are evident. Community voices, stories and expertise are understood to be as meaningful as charts and graphs of output data.

This can look like:

  • Centering community values and expertise
  • Using data as a starting point for action
  • Understanding what types of data community values
  • Exploring other ways of collecting data

Consider:

  • What stories are not yet told in our data?
  • How do we center our communities in our creation of outcomes?
  • How do we share our own data but also keep it protected?

Assessment Questions

Is this an area of priority for you?

How important to your organization is broadening definitions of data?

This is less important to our mission
This is of growing importance to our mission
This is very important to our mission

How strong is your organization at broadening definitions of data?

We're not strong at this yet
We're building strength here
This is a clear strength

Examples:

National Museum of the American Indian

A museum focused on recounting the layered stories of indigenous and native people in the United States.

Atlanta

A series focused on telling stories rooted in true stories that underpin the "isms."

The Conscious Lee (Social Media)

A social media account focused on challenging perceptions especially about race, gender and oppression.

Design Justice Principles

Design approaches that center those who are normally marginalized by design.

Design Justice

Design approaches that center those who are normally marginalized by design.