Our objective is to collate national and subnational data regarding public policy changes, announced reforms and commitments, and/or awareness-building campaigns by public, private, academic, and civil society institutions made in response to the calls from protesters and activists. I4DI will launch a publicly available database of verified evidence, which will include an interactive data visualization platform to disseminate and display the findings in an accessible manner. Data collection is anticipated to be done through an on-going process of desk-based research, crowdsourcing, and contributions from external collaborators and community partners.

High-level project goals are to 1) provide a valuable resource to activists wishing to cite objective evidence of change brought about by this historical moment of the movement, 2) build incentives/social pressure for other actors to make changes by highlighting positive action of peer institutions, and 3) provide a searchable, unified, and comprehensive body of evidence for reference by journalists, researchers, decision-makers, and interested members of the general public. I4DI seeks to provide data, without analysis of the collected results (i.e. their effectiveness, relevance/appropriateness, extent), to allow users to generate their own insights and conclusions around the effects of this sustained political pressure from racial justice movements.

As a research institution committed to using evidence and data to improve social policy for more equitable outcomes, I4DI sees this as a contribution to the important work that has been done, and still needs doing, to build an anti-racist culture and promote racial justice around the world, because Black Lives Matter. If you are interested in learning more about the project, or joining the effort by contributing data and/or further resources, please contact us directly at craubenheimer@i4di.org.