Black Beyond Data Reading Group

The Black Beyond Data Reading Group is focused on exploring ideas around community-based data analytics (CBDA), a collaborative approach to data that involves community members in the collection, management, and analysis of data in their communities. The goal of CBDA is to increase knowledge and understanding of social issues that impact a given community and to integrate the knowledge gained with interventions for policy or social change benefiting community members.*

What is data? Data are facts, statistics, and other basic units of information about a people, place, or community. They are the building blocks elected officials, policy-makers, organizers, and educators use to draw conclusions about how a community functions. Data is collected all the time, often without our conscious awareness of it and it could be anything from your birth date on a form to social media likes on Facebook. However, data can be so much more. That’s what we hope to explore in the readings.

The aim of the Black Beyond Data Reading Group is to gather people (researchers, faculty, community activists) who have an interest in Black community-based data analytics to critically research and study social issues to initiate transformative change in Black communities.

We're thrilled to announce that our fall 2023 lineup of guest speakers will include Tawana Petty (9/29), Isar Godreau (10/27), Nicole Aljoe (11/17), Zaire Dinzey and Nancy Lopez (12/15)!