ROOTED in Us: A Framework for Cultivating Community Ecosystems through Relationships and Data

Paper Title

ROOTED in Us: A Framework for Cultivating Community Ecosystems through Relationships and Data

Publication Info

• Topic area: Community-centered data practices for equity and advocacy
• Keywords: Community data, Black Feminist Thought, participatory design, asset-based development, data sovereignty, ecosystem transformation, advocacy, equity, HCI, community engagement

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Existing data practices often marginalize communities by treating them as passive subjects rather than active participants in data collection, interpretation, and action. There is a lack of frameworks to support communities in owning, interpreting, and leveraging data to advance their self-defined goals and address systemic power structures.
• Significance: Empowering communities to use data for advocacy and ecosystem transformation can lead to equitable outcomes, amplify marginalized voices, and foster long-term, community-led change.
• Motivation and related work: Prior frameworks like CBPR, PAR, and ABCD have advanced participatory methods but often lack focus on community data sovereignty and long-term advocacy. This paper builds on these approaches by integrating Black Feminist Thought and ecosystem perspectives to address gaps in community-driven data practices.

Solution

• Proposed approach: ROOTED (Reclaiming and Organizing Our Truths for Equity through Data), a community-centered framework that supports residents in using data to shape and advocate for their community’s future.
• Novelty:
  1. Centers communities as epistemic agents who generate, interpret, and act on data.
  2. Integrates Black Feminist Thought, ABCD, and ecosystem perspectives to address power dynamics in data practices.
  3. Provides a four-phase framework for visualizing, identifying, co-designing, and activating community ecosystems.
  4. Demonstrates adaptability through two case studies in distinct contexts.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  1. Phase 1: Visualize ecosystem assets and components (e.g., mapping relationships, infrastructure, and gaps).
  2. Phase 2: Identify community-defined goals, gaps, and challenges through participatory workshops.
  3. Phase 3: Co-design sustainable strategies to address identified challenges and goals.
  4. Phase 4: Connect and activate the ecosystem by aligning resources, relationships, and advocacy efforts.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • In the EYC case study, 19 workshops with 250+ participants led to actionable outcomes such as a youth leadership body, mental health initiatives, and secured city funding for community-defined projects.
  • In the BALTO case study, 3 workshops engaged 35+ participants and surfaced community priorities like transit reliability, safety, and communication with officials.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • ROOTED shifts from extractive data practices to community-led data sovereignty, emphasizing long-term advocacy and structural transformation.
  • It bridges institutional and community data, centering local knowledge and lived experiences.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Two case studies: Every Youth Connected (EYC) in Chicago focused on out-of-school learning opportunities, and BALTO in Baltimore addressed public transit equity.
  • Methods included participatory workshops, asset mapping, data visualization, and collaborative planning.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Limited to U.S. contexts with existing community ecosystems and civic engagement histories.
  • Challenges in replicating relational and sustained engagement in short-term projects.
  • Future research should explore applications in diverse cultural and global contexts and examine long-term structural outcomes.

Summary

The ROOTED framework provides a community-centered approach to using data for advocacy and ecosystem transformation, grounded in Black Feminist Thought, ABCD, and ecosystem perspectives. By emphasizing community data sovereignty, relational practices, and long-term advocacy, ROOTED enables communities to identify assets, address challenges, and co-design sustainable solutions. Two case studies—EYC in Chicago and BALTO in Baltimore—demonstrate its adaptability and impact in fostering equitable local ecosystems. Future research should explore its application in varied contexts and its potential for achieving structural change over time.