AISP Toolkit Feb25 2025 - Flipbook - Page 5
Introduction
oday, vast amounts of data are collected by public agencies, and data infrastructure and
use are expanding at every level of government—local, state, and federal. There are positive
aspects to this: Data have the potential to help communities illuminate disparities, hold
governments accountable, and support collaborative action. Yet, considerations around racial
equity are often absent from data infrastructure efforts, and tools to utilize and mine these data are
expanding exponentially. This is especially troubling because government policies and programs
that produce administrative data have often played a direct role in creating, enabling, and sustaining
institutional and structural racism.
T
We aim to change this.
With trust in government and “experts” at historic lows,1 efforts that rely exclusively on these
institutions to “use data to solve social problems” are unlikely to succeed. Too often, government
organizations and their research partners fail to identify and address issues of bias in data.
Further, even if such issues are identi昀椀ed, these organizations are not equipped to repair trust with
communities that have experienced harm.
This body of work seeks to encourage shifts of awareness and practice by centering racial equity
and community voice as we build and remake cross-sector data infrastructure. Our vision is one of
ethical data use that allows us to understand and address human needs holistically, and supports
information and power sharing with community members.
INTRODUCTION
We envision data infrastructure and use as a means to confront racism, expose injustice, act on
our shared values, and elevate lived experience.
Key Terms
Racial equity is a process of eliminating racial disparities and improving
outcomes for everyone. It is the intentional and continual practice of
changing policies, practices, systems, and structures by prioritizing
measurable change in the lives of people of color. (See Race Forward.)
Data infrastructure refers to the systems, technologies, and processes for
using, storing, securing, and interpreting data. This includes hardware,
software, and organizational practices.
Administrative data are data collected during the routine process of
administering programs.
Administrative data reuse involves using these data in a way not originally
intended (e.g., for research).
Data sharing is the practice of providing access to information not otherwise
available.
1
Pew Research Center. (2024). Public Trust in Government 1958-2024.
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