Dear Atlas Users,

Happy Holidays from the National Equity Atlas team! We are thankful for another fruitful year of collaborations with local coalitions and community leaders on data projects that empower collective action, undergird advocacy, and inform policies to advance racial equity and inclusive prosperity. Here are some highlights from the past year:

Employment Equity in Southern States

In partnership with collaboratives and organizations in each state, we released a series of five briefs that lay out policy roadmaps for Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Louisiana. These briefs were all based on data analyses and modeling of a “full-employment economy,” defined as when everyone who wants a job can find one, as well as focus groups with workers seeking good jobs These reports are undergirding the employment equity work of our partners, Partnership for Southern Equity, Alabama Asset-Building Coalition, Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, Rural Forward NC, the NC Budget & Tax Center, and the Louisiana Power Coalition for Equity and Justice.

New Equity Profiles

Continuing our work to inform equitable growth strategies locally, we developed equity profiles for Sacramento, Albuquerque, Cincinnati, and Omaha. As always, each profile was produced in partnership with local leaders who are using the data in their collective action efforts. In Albuquerque, the profile data will serve as a guide for the city’s Office of Equity and Inclusion as they develop their action agenda. In Cincinnati, the profile is informing the All-In Cincinnati coalition which is focusing on increasing housing affordability and stability for Black women in the city.

Other Reports and Publications

In April, we released Solving the Housing Crisis Is Key to Inclusive Prosperity in the Bay Area, produced in partnership with The San Francisco Foundation. Analyzing Zillow data on median rents, we found that two minimum-wage workers earning $15/hour can find affordable rentals in just 5 percent of the Bay Area’s 1,500 census tracts. Last month, in partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, we released 100 Million and Counting: A Portrait of Economic Insecurity in the United States, which sheds new light on the 106 million Americans — nearly a third of the nation — who are living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Register here for an upcoming webinar on the report and its findings taking place on Monday, January 14, 12:00 - 1:00 pm PT / 3:00 - 4:00 pm ET.

Data in Action/Atlas in the News

Our team has also shared several blog posts adding equity data to the national dialogue about inclusive economies; those posts and our monthly email updates are archived here. And throughout the year, Atlas data and reports have also been covered by various local and national media outlets and articles, radio interviews, and more are available here.

Thank you once more for your interest in our work!

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

Dear Atlas Users,

Greetings from the National Equity Atlas team! We are busy at work crunching data for forthcoming analyses and tools that we will be rolled out in the next couple of months. In the meantime, we are happy to share news about our most recent equity profile release in Cincinnati.

Advancing Health Equity and Inclusive Growth in Cincinnati

On October 19, over 200 people gathered at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for the release event for the new equity profile; its accompanying policy brief, All-In Cincinnati: Equity is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity; and one-page fact sheet which were written in partnership with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and Interact for Health.

PolicyLink President and CEO Michael McAfee gave a keynote speech about how the city is poised to lead the nation on equity, and Senior Associate James Crowder presented data findings and potential policy solutions to the audience. These data and accompanying policy recommendations will help to inform the work of the All-In Cincinnati coalition. That coalition is using the PolicyLink All-In Cities policy framework as they move towards policy and systems change.

Local news station WCPO Cincinnati covered the report in a TV segment and accompanying article that highlight key data points that have informed the coalition to work towards removing barriers for women of color to participate more fully in, and benefit from the region's economy. Reporter Lucy May writes, "All-In Cincinnati's policy recommendations aim to help black women, who often feel the region's racial and economic inequities most acutely." Nick Swartsell from CityBeat also wrote about the release, lifting up, "the cascading effect economic and racial inequality have on Hamilton County residents."

Thank you!

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

Dear Atlas Users,

Happy fall! This month, the Atlas team hit the road, with presentations and equity profile community engagements from Orange County, California to Pinellas County, Florida and many more stops in between. In all of the places we are working, we are impressed by our community partners who are bringing together diverse leaders to effect policy changes to reduce racial and economic inequities.

#EquityData at Mile High Data Day

On September 20, about 180 Coloradan community leaders gathered for the third annual Mile High Data Day, held by Shift Research Lab, to gain new ideas, insights, and connections for using data to power their community change efforts. Sarah Treuhaft, managing director at PolicyLink, gave the keynote address, lifting up how the Equity Atlas team weaves story, data, and community partnerships together to drive equitable growth policy changes and sharing the Denver Renter Fact Sheet created in partnership with the Right to the City Alliance. At the conference, we were happy to learn that the Colorado Office of Health Equity used our data in its new Equity Action Guide.

Equity Profiles Underway for Long Beach, Orange County, and Pinellas County

We are busy gathering data and speaking with community leaders about key equitable growth challenges and opportunities in three very different coastal communities: the port city of Long Beach, California, located in Los Angeles County; Orange County, just to the east of Long Beach; and Pinellas County, Florida, home to St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The Long Beach profile will be released later this year with the others scheduled for release in early 2019.

Milwaukee Renter Data In Action

In July, the YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin requested a renter fact sheet to support its economic opportunity work. The data revealed that Milwaukee renters already spend $2.8 billion to the local economy every year, but could contribute an additional $352 million per year if six in 10 renters were not rent burdened. The YWCA has been using the data to make the case that better job opportunities and wage increases for disenfranchised communities of color would have broad benefits for the city, to push for quality homeownership opportunities for renters, and to counter the myth that renters are not concerned about their neighborhoods and do not contribute to the Milwaukee economy.

Atlas Team on the Road

The theme of this year's Community Indicators Consortium conference, held in Minneapolis, was "Community Indicators in Action" and we were happy to host a workshop on leveraging data and narrative to advance equity locally at the event. Sarah Treuhaft also delivered the Impact Award to the MAP Dashboard Project in Southern Arizona, whose data on teacher wages helped Tucson for Teachers win higher teacher pay as a part of the #RedforEd movement. This month, our team is looking forward to the EARN Conference in Chicago and the National Neighborhood Indicators meeting in Los Angeles.

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

New Community Data Projects
Over the next year and a half, the National Equity Atlas team will be working with five community organizations and coalitions in New Mexico and Mississippi on data projects to advance equitable growth locally. The partners and their projects include: the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty (predatory storefront lending), the New Mexico Worker Organizing Collaborative (wage theft), Doña Ana Communities United (equity policies in Las Cruces), San Juan College (equitable economic development in Farmington), and East Biloxi Community Collaborative (equitable opportunity zones). We are grateful to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for supporting this project and excited to get started!

Join Us at the 2018 CIC Impact Summit in Minneapolis!
From September 17-19, the Community Indicators Consortium (CIC) will host its annual impact summit in Minneapolis, with the theme of "Community Indicators in Action." One of our longtime collaborators, Dr. Chris Benner of the University of California, Santa Cruz, will deliver the keynote, and Sarah Treuhaft will lead a workshop on leveraging data and narrative to advance equity locally on September 19. Register here.

Seeking a Communications Strategist in Oakland
Are you a communications expert passionate about racial and economic equity and empowering community changemakers with data? PolicyLink is looking for a part-time strategist in our Oakland office to implement our communications and outreach strategy for the National Equity Atlas and the forthcoming Bay Area Equity Atlas. Apply here.

In the News
Kevin Alin and Peter Truog of The Fund for Our Economic Future cited our data estimating that Cleveland's regional economy could be $15 billion stronger each year with racial equity in income in their blog post encouraging cities to advance racial equity through their opportunity zone investments.

Thank you!

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

Seeking a Communications Strategist
Are you a communications expert passionate about racial and economic equity and empowering community changemakers with data? PolicyLink is looking for a part-time strategist in our Oakland office to implement our communications and outreach strategy for the National Equity Atlas and the forthcoming Bay Area Equity Atlas. Apply here.

Advancing the Conversation on Employment Equity
James Crowder recently participated in a radio interview with NC Policy Watch to describe the findings and recommendations of our report, "Advancing Employment Equity in Rural North Carolina." And he and Sarah Treuhaft penned an op-ed for the News & Observer lifting up the challenges posed by the proliferation of temporary employment in the state’s rural areas.

Charts of the Week: #EquityABQ and Health Equity in Michigan
Following up on the Equity Profile of Albuquerque released last month, summer intern Maryjane Bermudez took a closer look at the gender wage gap in the Albuquerque metro, where just 45 percent of Native American women earn at least $15 per hour compared with 56 percent of Native American men and 80 percent of White men. Last week, Maryjane explored how the expansion of Michigan’s 10 cents a meal program could advance health equity.

Better Data for Better Health
We are honored to be among several tools featured in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's on its “Better Data for Better Health” web collection, which is also summarized in this handy brief. Check it out to explore other data tools for health equity!

In the News
As a part of the Bay Area Equity Atlas project, the Atlas team provided data to EBASE to incorporate into its report about the growing housing crisis in Concord, California. The data revealed how the majority of Concord renters have annual incomes below $50,000 yet in the vast majority of Concord neighborhoods, renters need an income of at least $75,000 to find affordable housing. Our data was included in articles about the report printed in the San Francisco Chronicle and The Mercury News.

Thank you!

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

Dear Atlas users,

In just seven days, California’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program will stop accepting new applications, and the Covid protections that had previously barred landlords from filing eviction notices on the basis of unpaid rent will end. As evidenced by our new analysis, the combined loss of resources and protections will expose families and communities to the cascading harms of eviction and homelessness. Through our data tools, research, and partnerships with grassroots organizations, the Atlas team is proud to support efforts to ensure an equitable recovery. Here are more updates:

New Analysis of California’s Rent Relief Program Underscores the Urgent Need for Policy Action

Our new analysis of California’s statewide rent relief program — released in partnership with Housing NOW! — reveals that more than 366,000 of the 534,666 applicants are still waiting for assistance. At the current rate of approvals, it would take until Thanksgiving for them all to receive a decision on their applications. These findings underscore that California needs permanent policy solutions, funding, and infrastructure to support the renters hardest hit by the pandemic. In addition to the report, we released a dashboard with real-time, in-depth data for counties, cities, and zip codes.

Meet the Inaugural Cohort of National Equity Atlas Fellows

We are proud to announce the inaugural cohort of the National Equity Atlas Fellowship. This new program provides intensive, hands-on data training and support to grassroots leaders of color working to advance racial and economic equity. The 12 visionary leaders we’ve selected come from a broad range of backgrounds and represent community-based organizations from across the country. Learn more about the fellows and their work at nationalequityatlas.org/fellowship.

Equity Data for Six Southern States

In partnership with E Pluribus Unum, we produced a series of data snapshots to support a cohort of Southern state legislators working to advance racial and economic equity. In addition to key Atlas indicators on demographics, economic vitality, readiness, connectedness, and the economic benefits of equity, the snapshots also include customized indicators related to priority equity issues in each of the states. You can download data decks for Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Did You Hear? We’re Expanding Our Team!

We are looking for a dynamic Senior Associate to join our team. The person who fills this position will lead research engagements with community partners for the Bay Area Equity Atlas, including the development of reports, analyses, and local equity data tools. They will contribute research and data support to the National Equity Atlas and support the further development of the Atlas tool. The ideal candidate is passionate about producing data and research that is relevant and actionable for those working on the front lines to advance racial and economic equity. This position will remain open until it’s filled. Please help us spread the word!

In the News

The Atlas received broad media coverage this month, anchored by our latest analysis, which was covered by KGET, KABC, KPBS, Mercury News, KQED, and Los Angeles Times. For more, explore the archive of our news coverage.

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

Dear Atlas users,

As the Covid-19 pandemic dragged on into its second year, the communities most impacted by its economic fallout and systemic inequities advocated for emergency relief and long-term solutions for a more equitable and resilient economy. The Atlas team is proud to support these efforts through our data tools, research, and partnerships with grassroots organizations. In 2021, we published more than a dozen original analyses, and our user base doubled to more than 100,000 people. Here are a few highlights from the year.

Powering Advocacy for Eviction Protections and Rent Relief

Stabilizing renters experiencing housing insecurity is key to an equitable recovery. In April, we launched a regularly updated rent debt dashboard, in partnership with the Right to the City Alliance, that equips advocates and policymakers with timely, local data on the extent of rent debt in their communities to inform policies to prevent eviction and eliminate rent debt. Since its debut, the dashboard and our accompanying analysis have been accessed 19,000 times, and advocates in California, Indiana, Minnesota, and elsewhere used our data to make the case for equity-focused recovery policies at both local and state level. News outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, ABC Baltimore, Texas News Today, the New York Times, and CNN, produced over 150 articles using dashboard data.

Launching the Racial Equity Data Lab

This summer we launched the Racial Equity Data Lab, a new interactive space on the Atlas that helps you create custom displays to tell your community’s equity story, powered by Tableau software and Atlas data. Our Tableau-ready datasets for equity indicators like Poverty, Car Access, Working Poor, and Educational Attainment can be customized to build factsheets and dashboards at the local level. Learn how to use this new tool with this step-by-step guide and starter viz to create your own factsheet to show who in your community is able to access a $15/hour wage.

Activating Local Efforts to Advance Workforce Equity

Through our ongoing Advancing Workforce Equity project, in partnership with the National Fund for Workforce Solutions and Emsi Burning Glass, we worked with local leaders in nine regions across the country to catalyze cross-cutting strategies to build a more equitable economy. In addition to two national reports detailing the early labor-market impacts of the pandemic and laying out a forward-looking, data-driven framework for workforce equity, we published five tailored analyses and blueprints for local action in Boston (with SkillWorks), Chicago (with the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance), Dallas and Collin Counties (with Pathways to Work), the San Francisco Bay Area (with ReWork the Bay), and Seattle (with the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County).

Supporting Gig Worker Rights, Equity in Federal Contracting, and Housing Security for All

Throughout 2021, the Atlas team partnered with leaders working to address structural racism and the inequitable impacts of the pandemic to provide actionable insights and analyses across a range of issue areas.

• Through a study with Rideshare Drivers United, we found that California rideshare drivers, particularly Latinx drivers, are struggling to access health insurance and a safe workplace following the passage of Prop 22. As the first study on rideshare health care access under this legislation, our work was lifted up in SF Examiner, KQED, and The American Prospect, among others.
• We analyzed small business access to federal contracting dollars, revealing that the number of small businesses contracting with the federal government shrank dramatically – by 40 percent – over the past decade. This analysis contributed to the Biden Administration’s new commitments to advance equity in federal procurement, including increasing federal contracting with businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color to 11 percent in 2022.
• We produced a series of fact sheets in partnership with For the Many, who used our data to advocate for Good Cause eviction protections across New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley. Our analysis showed that 54 percent of renter households in the region are rent-burdened, and Black and Latinx households are especially impacted. In October Newburg became the first city in the region to pass a law protecting renters from eviction without good cause, as other municipalities in the region consider similar legislation.

Bolstering Regional Equity Campaigns: News from the Bay Area Equity Atlas

Throughout 2021, 50,000 users turned to the Bay Area Equity Atlas to access equity data and policy tools, double the number of users in 2020. The team produced a landmark report on the diversity of high-level elected officials in the Bay Area, which revealed that while these leaders are becoming more representative of the communities they represent every year, significant inequities remain: people of color represent 60 percent of residents, but just 34 percent of top electeds.

Atlas In the News and On The Road

This year, our data and analyses informed 190 print and digital news articles in outlets including The New York Times, CNN, NPR, The Hill, and Buzzfeed News (see full list here). We also shared our work with a diverse set of audiences, conducting dozens of presentations and trainings to policymakers, government agencies, grantmakers, community leaders, and peer organizations, including the House Committee on Ways and Means, Aspen Institute Opportunity Youth Forum to Clear Impact’s Measurable Equity One Year Challenge, and Partnership on AI’s Partner Perspectives: The Next 5 Years in AI.

Join Our Team!

USC Equity Research Institute is hiring a one-year postdoctoral position to provide data analysis support to the Bay Area and National Equity Atlas team. The fellow will help the team design, organize, and conduct advanced quantitative analyses producing academic articles as well as popular reports. Please send experienced candidates our way!

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