As a community of practice, we are committed to sharing diverse perspectives, experiences (both lived and learned) and approaches to working with and through data. Our goal is not to develop a unifying principle underlying this work, as much as to better understand the landscape of methods, philosophies and practices that might guide future work. As a living practice, our perspectives will necessarily change – this version is both a snapshot of where we are starting and an invitation to continue reflecting on how we can be in practice together.   

Our Positionality

We can learn from and try to acknowledge our own role in systems of oppression, recognizing our own privilege (as citizens of the U.S., living in relative affluence, educated, employed), positionality, access, equity and balance.  At the same time, we recognize that within our community we also have very different experiences with oppressive systems, and our roles in them are not equal or the same. We honor our commonality and our differences in these relationships and roles. 

This is a space to learn, share and grow together while showing respect for one another’s basic personhood. We practice inner inquiry. We ask questions. We are open to observations of our behavior, and we are open to sharing feedback with others regarding their actions. We help each other learn and grow by “calling in” (to conversation) instead of “calling out” (with blame). We stretch our willingness to be uncomfortable.

We try to use inclusive language that is accessible for people with varying disciplinary knowledge and (to the best of our ability) ground the specificity of our work within a more general understanding.

We make sure we’re not generalizing to entire groups of people or presuming anything about someone else’s experience and we reflect on the social identities we carry that impact our experiences.

We practice sharing honestly and listening deeply. We strive to create a welcoming environment for those with varying levels of comfort in verbalizing experiences. We assume that everyone has a right to be heard and a right to be silent. Our disagreements and challenges are respectful and in the spirit of mutual learning and growth.

Our Practice

• We acknowledge our varying roles in Infrastructures of Oppression
• We come to this work in a spirit of curiosity, openness and respect
• We speak from our experience and learn from others experiences
• We strive to be inclusive of mind, language and orientation
• We make space for each other
• We acknowledge the difference between intent and impact

Inspiration for our Community Practices comes from AORTA 28 and Visions 49 and altMBA.