National Equity Atlas Update

Dear Atlas Users,

Greetings from the National Equity Atlas team! This month, we released a new equity profile for Orange County, California. And we were thrilled to see our data on wage disparities used to power policy advocacy in Cincinnati!
 
Orange County Equity Report Release
On March 26, about 300 people gathered at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana for the release event for An Equity Profile of Orange County, completed in partnership with Orange County Grantmakers. The presentation of data revealing stark inequities within the wealthy county made many participants uncomfortable — and ready to take action. Reacting to the presentation of the data by Dr. Manuel Pastor, Rosie Perez of Mission Integration at Providence St. Joseph Hospital said “I am motivated by the findings. I think it can bring all of us together to work toward equity.”

Cincinnati Leverages Equity Data to Win New Wage Equity Policy
On March 13, Cincinnati City Council barred employers from asking applicants about their salary history in an attempt to reduce wage disparities between men and women in the region. This was the direct result of advocacy by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s Women’s Fund, using data from our equity profile along with coalition building support from the PolicyLink All-In Cities initiative. The Cincinnati Business Courier and CityBeat covered the passing of the new ordinance.

Omaha Equitable Growth Profile Wins Planning Award
Our partners at the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency and the Heartland 2050 initiative received an award from the Nebraska chapter of the American Planning Association for their work using the Equitable Growth Profile of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Region to drive equity planning in the region. Since the profile was released in July, local leaders have used the data to inform multiple planning efforts spanning health, housing, transportation, and leadership development, including the United Way of the Midland’s Community Food Plan, the Douglas County Community Health Improvement Plan, and the City of Omaha’s Transit Oriented Development Initiative.

Join Our Team: PolicyLink is Hiring a Director for Our Equity Data Team
Love the Atlas? Come work with us! PolicyLink is seeking a director to lead our growing portfolio of work that leverages data to advance racial and economic equity. The director will have principal responsibility for the day-to-day management of the National Equity Atlas and the forthcoming Bay Area Equity Atlas and lead the development of other high-impact quantitative and mixed-methods analyses and data tools. Find the job description and instructions on how to apply here.

In the News
The Los Angeles Times used Atlas data on the housing burdens faced by minimum wage workers in Oakland in an article about the Athletics baseball team building housing units alongside their new stadium.

Thank you for your interest in our work!

The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE)