Dear Atlas Users,

As we continue to support communities in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have spent the past month producing new analyses, trainings, and factsheets powered by Atlas data. Partnerships with community organizations are driving this work forward. Here are a few highlights:

As the nation prepares for a historic election, the need for reliable, deeply disaggregated data to inform equity strategies is clearer than ever. The Atlas team has been hard at work this past month conducting unique analyses, building partnerships, and sharing our work with the field to strengthen local organizing and policy efforts. Here are some updates:

We’re Hiring for an Exciting New Partnership with Tableau

The Atlas team is excited to announce our new partnership with Tableau, a global leader in visual analytics. Through this partnership, we will build a new Racial Equity Data Lab on the Atlas, where users can create Tableau dashboards combining Atlas data with other data sources, and lead an Equity Data Fellowship to support leaders of color working in racial equity-focused organizations. We are recruiting a senior associate to lead this work. If you know of any candidates who are passionate about equipping equity advocates with data and visualizations, please send them our way. Read the full job description here.

Eviction Risk Analyses Released for Colorado and Bedford County, TN

The Atlas team has been supporting the Our Homes, Our Health housing justice effort by producing eviction risk fact sheets for local campaigns advocating for strong renter protection and eviction moratorium policies across the country. This month, we published factsheets for Colorado (with Colorado Homes For All, United for a New Economy, and 9to5) and Bedford County, TN (with the Bedford County Listening Project), with many more in the works. Find them here.

Atlas Team Shares Data Insights to Support Community-Led Equity Efforts

This month, Atlas team member Sarah Treuhaft participated in an SF Chronicle panel to discuss how the election could impact systemic racism in housing, criminal justice, and income inequality. She will also present today at the Center for an Urban Future policy forum to discuss municipal initiatives that can help build a more inclusive economy. Abbie Langston and James Crowder also presented to the Triangle J [North Carolina] Council of Governments, sharing the National Equity Atlas, the Racial Equity Index, and insights for policymakers from our equity data partnerships in the region.

City of Seattle Draws on Atlas Data for Equitable Development Community Indicators Report

The City of Seattle released an Equitable Development Community Indicators Report last month as part of its Equitable Development Monitoring Program. The report reveals key racial inequities in Seattle, finding that residents of color have longer commutes to work than their White counterparts, the city lacks adequate family-size rental housing, and people of color are underrepresented among business owners. The authors relied on Atlas data for many of the indicators. As lead author Diana Canzoneri notes, “One of the especially valuable aspects of the Atlas is the detailed disaggregation by race, ethnicity, and place of birth. This feature of the Atlas made it easy for us to find and integrate examples of disparities between subgroups that would have otherwise been masked.” Read the full report here.

Thank you.

-- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute