Equity, Social Justice, & Decolonization Town Hall by Aisha Rios https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f en-us 2022-09-27 13:31:37 UTC 2022-10-24 22:40:21 UTC hello@padlet.com It (equity) shows up in my (new) job title; as I have asked to be allowed to lean into supporting/exhorting my colleagues to think about assessment as a possible tool for social justice. FWIW. (it's a process) https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319900636 2022-09-29 18:15:05 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319900636 Equity in Teaming https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319901028 Equity shows up in building teams for evaluation to ensure they are diverse and inclusive and leverage various types of expertise. ]]> 2022-09-29 18:15:22 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319901028 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319901332 advocating for others - participants, collaborators, community members - to be involved with outcome development as well as the entire evaluation process...many times against the timeline of the organization

]]> 2022-09-29 18:15:36 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319901332 Equity doesn't show by itself -- it's a struggle. I and my colleagues work towards inclusion and balancing power relations with our organization and externally in the relations we keep and build https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319901749 2022-09-29 18:15:54 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319901749 Lifting up/honoring/listening to minoritized voices https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319902215 - In design: partnering with community to develop approaches
-In process: evaluation workgroups to review/weigh in the work during the process
-In reporting: Critical conversations internally and with clients leading to sharing results differently and more broadly for co- ownership]]> 2022-09-29 18:16:15 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319902215 It's a university. (Doesn't move very fast) But there are many more conversations than there used to be ... https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319902219 2022-09-29 18:16:15 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319902219 Working around disparities and disproportionality in child welfare. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319902619 2022-09-29 18:16:34 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319902619 I work on helping colleagues to think and act responsibly in evaluation. Part of this is identifying risks of harm (which often have an equity angle) and responding to these https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903089 2022-09-29 18:16:54 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903089 Equity is something that I hear all my colleagues stating, but it's something that I try to make concrete through naming specific activities and why it supports or doesn't equity. But echoing what others are saying, it's ongoing work that you need to struggle with. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903195 2022-09-29 18:16:59 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903195 It's everything we do - from the projects we choose to work on to the ways that we treat each other as we work, and especially the way that we engage with the people who are the center of our work -- Black people, indigenous people, people of color, disabled people, and others who are building power to transform our world. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903659 2022-09-29 18:17:18 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903659 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903784 I've been developing programming (internally) for dialogues around race/ism and racial equity. I've also developed a new course for undergraduate students about decolonizing and anti-racism in community based work. And I'm involved in some committee work designed to help faculty examine their syllabi through an equity and inclusion lens (i.e. how can we be more representative - or even work to decolonize! - syllabi.)]]> 2022-09-29 18:17:23 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903784 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903836 intentionally getting the typical curatorial voice out of the way and getting Native American and Indigenous voices as central

]]> 2022-09-29 18:17:25 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319903836 valuing different individuals' time, spent and saved https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319904039 When including costs and benefits in evaluation, there can be more power and more problems in evaluation findings. Time can be valued in many ways. One classic approach is to value time according to what one earns in one's context. Often this boils down to salary + benefits. Lots of potential in this valuing for perpetuation and exacerbation of social injustices and inequities. Using the same value (monetary or otherwise) for everyone's time is one means of fighting this likely bias in valuing time spent in programs, and time that may be saved as the result of programs.]]> 2022-09-29 18:17:34 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319904039 It starts with acknowledging my own bias and epistemologies in the evaluation work. Understanding the history https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319904721 2022-09-29 18:18:03 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319904721 The concept of "decolonization" is everywhere in my work. But I am very reluctant to use that term in a loose, metaphorical way. I feel that its usage should probably be guided by the people who have literally experienced being colonized. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319905009 2022-09-29 18:18:16 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319905009 We use an approach that includes ending oppression as it is organized by white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, imperialism, and colonialism. These are interlocking oppressions that are the foundation of the US. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319906593 2022-09-29 18:19:22 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319906593 I work in an institution that can be identified as part of a colonization project, while inhabiting multiple realities https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319906877 2022-09-29 18:19:33 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319906877 I'm not sure it does show up. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319907023 2022-09-29 18:19:39 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319907023 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319907209 I am working with colleagues to identify ways in which our personal evaluation practice is influenced by and perpetuates white supremacist culture]]> 2022-09-29 18:19:47 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319907209 My clients are increasingly interested in equity but many still see it as a box to check; part of my work is helping them unpack it more and see it as a process. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319907849 2022-09-29 18:20:16 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319907849 I think if we continue to push equity forward, we will get to decolonization. But I don't see it in my work or that my colleagues are talking about decolonization (which to me is a large mind shift). I work with a lot of public agencies and I think they will be slow to get here. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319908949 2022-09-29 18:21:04 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319908949 Yes in the racial equity space. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319909110 2022-09-29 18:21:12 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319909110 Questioning what counts as expertise, and recognizing whose voices and narratives have power and working to shift the balance and lens of how information is gathered and understood. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319909167 2022-09-29 18:21:15 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319909167 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319910854 It freaked out executives. I personally was told not to be "so adamant" about this issues (as a white man), so I can't imagine what literally any other person has directed at them.]]> 2022-09-29 18:22:28 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319910854 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319912579 My company is dedicated to serving people with blindness/low vision, and equity is showing up in my work by witnessing our company's dedication to actively employ a significant number of people with blindness/low vision in all levels of our company, from entry level to senior leadership and all points in between. We still are working on other equity areas (race/ethnicity, gender, identity, etc.) but making progress to meet our new motto: 'Welcome Everyone']]> 2022-09-29 18:23:50 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319912579 evaluating emergency assistance program for LGBTQI+ rights defenders https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319912909 I have sought out, and am persisting in, cost-inclusive evaluation of an internationally funded emergency assistance program for LGBTQI+ human rights defenders. It's so different from my evaluations in education, health, mental health, substance abuse ... and so educational–for me and my practice. Old methods fail or can harm; developing new methods is inspired by this (potential) liberation evaluation.]]> 2022-09-29 18:24:05 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319912909 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319913118 There's no space given for liberation to truly start to grow. So funding driven, so much inertia.]]> 2022-09-29 18:24:14 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319913118 The goal of our organization is to cease to exist deja9 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319915931 2022-09-29 18:26:20 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319915931 There is more openness to the ideas in general, even if adoption is slow and discussions riddled with defensiveness. I am also trying to find the balance between acting with urgency and creating space for healing and relationships. Rushing can be its own form of violence & marginalization. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319916570 2022-09-29 18:26:48 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319916570 old evaluation methods fail or harm in some new contexts https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319917399 I seem to be finding that traditional methods of evaluating costs and benefits would likely harm the program I'm evaluating. So I explored and used alternative methods, focusing on formative evaluation, involving program staff as the experts, figuring out how resources available might be allocated to help the most.]]> 2022-09-29 18:27:24 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319917399 The residual trauma stemming from colonization actions is prevalent. Decolonization is subsequently present in my work by my owning my ignorance and building my knowledge/understanding of its impact on the populations with which I work so that I can help build trust and more effectively advocate for them. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319918085 2022-09-29 18:27:50 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319918085 I am my geniune self always and constantly attend to issues of equity in my work and personal life. I am a vocal advocate for equity and equitable practices. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319921902 2022-09-29 18:30:34 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319921902 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319928357 Like (probably) everyone else here, I have been thinking about and trying to reframe evaluation completely from what it traditionally has been. This looks like systems based eval (that starts at the very beginning of a project/initiative/collab) rather than just measuring outputs/outcomes. Also integrating narrative inquiry into eval practices (Most Significant Change methodology is one approach to that) in order to center the voices of those involved with and impacted by any initiative.]]> 2022-09-29 18:34:58 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319928357 Not moving at the speed of whiteness deja9 https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319931169 Working in systems of oppression has pressured us to move at the speed of whiteness and with a sense of unnecessary urgency. ]]> 2022-09-29 18:37:06 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319931169 Union organizing -- more equitable power relations at work and strengthens solidarity at work https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319932033 2022-09-29 18:37:39 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319932033 Time-Urgency Tensions https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319957489 It's a real challenge to operate in the time-taking way that equity work demands and the urgency with which we want to see change. ]]> 2022-09-29 18:55:42 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319957489 Social change comes slowly. Recently tried to include inclusive identity/demographic categories (beyond the traditional federal categories of race/ethnicity/gender, for example) for an inclusion-focused group at a major university. You'd have thought (to paraphrase my co-creator of the survey) that we'd asked them to please consider eating a plate of yummy maggots! https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319983746 2022-09-29 19:17:18 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2319983746 As Laura Peck mentioned, in working with public agencies who don't necessarily come with this framework or are unsure, you have to fit these ideas back into the process. However, there is greater openness to this (thankfully!) and also we can use these ideas and not always have to name the metanarrative. I'm not saying that we have to be disingenuous, but if I add 2-3 questions on an interview protocol that I think will tease out systems level challenges and that that could speak to systemic oppression....that's just doing the work. I think there are times that naming what that is can be helpful but I don't know we always have to name it. It can just be. https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2320004195 2022-09-29 19:36:37 UTC https://padlet.com/aisha78/25w7wto8c1nsdn2f/wish/2320004195