Put Data to Use

Data alone is not enough to eliminate racial disparities, it also takes action. Learn how you can use RACE COUNTS data to take action and help advance racial justice.

Launch a social media campaign

Social media can serve as a powerful tool to advance racial equity and policy change. It offers a platform for those most impacted by disparities to be heard, fostering crucial conversations, and raising awareness. You can mobilize, share information, and build solidarity, accelerating momentum for change. Additionally, it can hold institutions and individuals accountable by publicly exposing inequities.

Download the RACE COUNTS Social Media Guide for sample social media posts and to learn how to launch a social media campaign using RACE COUNTS data.

Write an op-ed

An op-ed can raise awareness of systemic racism with a large audience. Op-eds typically represent the opinion of the writer, as opposed to a traditional article that presents facts without an agenda. By including RACE COUNTS data in the op-ed, you can add empirical evidence to support arguments, making it more compelling and harder to dismiss. By sharing personal experiences alongside the data, op-eds educate the public, policymakers, and businesses, fostering a deeper understanding of racial disparities and inspiring concrete actions to advance racial equity. 

To learn more about how to write an effective op-ed, visit The Op-Ed Project.

Meet with your elected official

Meeting with elected officials is one crucial way to build relationships to advance racial equity. You can use these interactions to build and maintain relationships with, as well as to educate policymakers. These meetings provide a platform to voice concerns, advocate for change, and hold leaders accountable. Sharing racial disparity data during these discussions is essential as it can increase officials’ awareness of systemic inequities and help them understand the challenges their constituents face. By combining this data-driven approach with community experiences, you can push policymakers to make informed decisions, allocate resources equitably, and work towards a more just society. 

Find out who your federal and state representatives are.

Use RACE COUNTS data to develop your strategy

For organizations and coalitions working to eliminate racial disparities, it can be hard to know where to start. RACE COUNTS can be a valuable resource in developing or refining  an advocacy or funding strategy. RACE COUNTS data and policy analysis can help community-based organizations, coalitions, and philanthropy identify specific issue areas and indicators to prioritize efforts and make the biggest impact.

Download the RACE COUNTS Strategy Development Guide to learn how to use RACE COUNTS data and policy analysis to help develop or refine your strategy.