Data Strategy Mentorship Program

Data for Social Impact: Racial and Economic Justice

Thank you for joining us for Data for Social Impact: Racial & Economic Justice. We hope you found inspiration and insight in the work of these emerging data strategists!

Below are video recordings and slide presentations from all parts of the event, including the six concurrent breakout sessions. 

Main Event

Opening Session & Welcome:

TechSoup and ParsonsTKO leaders discuss the inaugural Data Strategy Mentorship Program and why we need more programs like this.

Program presentations: 

Mentorship participants from each of the 5 project teams share key findings on their topics. 

Breakout Sessions:

The Impact of Diversity in Higher Education

This project team analyzed California college admissions data and income trend data to analyze the effects of race-neutral college admissions. The team found that an affirmative action ban in CA was followed by a decline in college enrollment rates among Black and Native American students, and an increase among Latinx and Asian students. This analysis is relevant in light of an upcoming resolution to repeal Prop 209, which has banned affirmative action in CA since 1996. 

Police Funding in America

This project team analyzed the relationships between police spending, crime rates, race and income. Compiling data across states, they found that police budgets continued to increase even in jurisdictions in which crime levels have dropped. They also found that policing budgets are higher in states with larger minority populations.

Sentiment Analysis of the Black Lives Matter Movement

This project team led an analysis of public sentiment of the BLM movement in the month following George Floyd’s murder. Their work found that sentiment on Twitter remained consistently negative in tone in the weeks immediately following Mr. Floyd’s death. At the same time, a shift took place in the substance of tweets over time, with an initial focus on the specific individuals murdered, transitioning into a more substantial focus on the broader BLM movement (e.g. #defundthepolice). 

Urban Inequities in Air Quality

For decades, the US mortgage industry systematically denied mortgages to people of color through the practice of red-lining, which institutionalized racial segregation. This project team’s analysis focuses on Seattle, linking the city’s history of red-lining with current air pollution levels and health trends. Their data suggests that previously red-lined areas suffer from higher rates of pollution and asthma today than communities zoned as “desirable” in the 1940s. It also finds that people of color are currently underrepresented in air monitoring coverage in Seattle.

Water Consumption in the Textile Industry

This project team researched the textile industry and its effect on water quality in India, showing the economic consequences of current industry behaviors. Their findings suggest that, without improved regulation of wastewater disposal in the industry, India’s GDP and economic activity may be negatively impacted.

Why We Ran this Program: Insights on Non-Profit Data

Stefan Byrd-Krueger, Chief Analytics Officer at ParsonsTKO, shared lessons from the Data Strategy Mentorship Program for institutions wanting to boost the nonprofit sector’s data capabilities.

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