Black Lives Matter

CTData stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. We condemn police violence and racism.

For more than 400 years, Black lives have been lost at the hands of slave owners, police, or armed vigilantes. Racism is a virus, and it is killing Black people. 

Data points are People. 
How many Black people must die before we see policy changes? 
How many more statistics do we need before we start listening and speak up? 
 
We support and say Black Lives Matter because we have seen time and time again that white lives are perceived and treated as if they matter more, both at the national level and in the largely white state of Connecticut. We cannot acknowledge the centuries of trauma and suffering endured without acknowledging the privileges we hold as a white-led organization. We are committed to critically exploring the impact of our role, identifying ways we can improve, and leveraging these privileges to implement meaningful action.

A core part of our mission at CTData is ensuring everyone has access to data, the ability to use data, and empowering people to use data to achieve racial equity. We need to be intentional that we live this mission and ensure no one is excluded. As an organization that promotes the use of data to inform decision-making, we are recommitting ourselves to not only highlight racial inequities in the data but to support the actions needed to shift the power dynamic.  
 
We recognize that this is not something that can be changed overnight. Racism is an ongoing, systemic, institutionalized problem that requires intentional and continued action to address. It is not enough to say that we stand against racism—we as people and as an organization must align our actions in accordance with these values. Our new journey is only beginning, and we invite your input to collectively shape the path to equity.

In solidarity,
Michelle Riordan-Nold
Executive Director
Connecticut Data Collaborative