We are weaving a tapestry of peace, joy, LGBTQIA+ Pride, and community data to liberate all of us!
Party with data in community, experience inner peace and joy, and celebrate LGBTQIA+ people around the world with Pride
Musings…
Community Data Parties for Securing More Resources and Improving Lives
The data2insight team has been partnering with LGBTQ-serving organizations doing community-driven data collection, analysis, and storytelling. This approach centers and values people’s lived experiences and everyday realities as trusted evidence to realize changes that communities desire. This work is informed by The Coalition of Communities of Color’s research justice strategy that is driven by the following:
Community members are experts.
Communities are positioned as researchers rather than the subjects of research and inquiry.
Communities already have the capacity to conduct critical and systemic inquiry into their own lived experiences.
QTBIPOC knowledge and expertise can counter dominant cultural narratives that center deficit models rather than strengths- and desire-based models.
One tool for growing community members’ capacity to conduct critical and systemic inquiry into their own lived experiences is a data party (Source).
A data party is an:
in-person community engagement event where a diverse group of community members collectively analyze and make sense of data, and
equitable research method for community engagement, which is often lacking after a research report has been released.
A data party’s purpose is to:
encourage people to interact with one another to make sense of data together,
center community members' lived experiences and perspectives in the use of data to make policy, law, and/or provide resources to benefit a community, and
put informed decision making into the hands of community members.
The potential benefits of a data party are:
participants increase their knowledge of research areas and improve interpretation of data, and
data sense-making happens in a community context, and
development of community-backed recommendations to better inform the broader community, policymakers, lawmakers, and funders of community initiatives.
The South King County LGBTQ+ Collaborative Community Data Party May 13, 2026
Recently Veronica, data2insight founder, and Kory Higgs, founder of Ebony with a Vision, co-facilitated a community data party for The South King County LGBTQIA+ Collaborative (The Collaborative), made up of these QTBIPOC-serving organizations: Queer Power Alliance, POCAAN, Entre Hermanos, and Pacific Northwest Black Pride. The focus of this data party was bringing together community members to make sense of survey results about economic stability for LGBTQIA+ residents of South King County.
About 25 folks came together for food, music, community, and conversation. Participants found the party fun, informative, and a welcome opportunity to grow community connections. Check out the slide presentation and research brief here.
The highlight of the event was the roundtable discussions. Party goers reviewed data placemats on each of the three focus areas of transportation, healthcare, and voting and civic engagement. The research study included both survey and small circle data. The conversations included people reflecting on their own experiences, challenges, and possible solutions.
At the end, one party goer commented that they enjoyed the conversations and they would like more time to have those conversations and looked forward to more. Another said how much they appreciated that findings were shared in plain language that was easier to understand than some research findings which are written with jargon and terms that “make me feel dumb.”
The Collaborative will continue building on this work to co-create a legislative agenda for 2027 with the goal of securing more support, resources, and policies that will contribute to improving the economic stability of all residents of South King County.
Resources:
These great resources are from Cory Newhouse and Dana Benjamin, leaders of Public Profit and Back of the Napkin.
This Stanford Social Innovation Review article explains how overreliance on dominant data fails communities and how community data provides a solution.
Here is Veronica’s calendar link if you would like to chat 1:1 or discuss hosting a data party or community conversation to make sense of the data and use it for good.
No matter that some are trying to erase us, we will continue to share our stories until we liberate all of us!
Resource Highlight
It is that time of year again. And look what we found! A Gay Pride Calendar featuring the major Pride celebrations around the world! Let's start planning our world tour of Pride celebrations, please!
This year, it is more important than ever to connect with our LGBTQIA+ community members, especially if you are in rural areas and/or areas that have ramped up the LGBTQIA+ hate rhetoric, find your people IRL or online to keep protected and replenished. In 2019, the Movement Advancement Project authored the report WHERE WE CALL HOME: LGBT PEOPLE IN RURAL AMERICA. At that time, it was estimated that between 2.9 million and 3.8 million LGBTQ+ people—or 15-20% of the total U.S. LGBT population—live in rural areas around the country. We are everywhere!
Happy Pride
While a Pride parade or event may not be your jam, be sure to do something to celebrate your fabulous self.
#LGBTQIAPride
#LGBTQIALove
Book Highlight
Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people--regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity--are mesmerized by baby animals, and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons?
Designer and TED star Ingrid Fetell Lee explains how to make small changes in our surroundings to create happiness in our lives.
Joyful was a Next Big Idea Club selection--chosen by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Dan Pink, and Adam Grant as one of the "two most groundbreaking new nonfiction reads of the season. "
"This book has the power to change everything. Writing with depth, wit, and insight, Ingrid Fetell Lee shares all you need to know in order to create external environments that give rise to inner joy." --Susan Cain, author of Quiet and founder of Quiet Revolution
Reflecting on Peace
Many of these quotes share common themes: acceptance, self-awareness, compassion, and mindful presence. Peace is not about avoiding difficulties but about navigating life with clarity and calm. Practices like pausing before reacting, acknowledging emotions without judgment, and performing small acts of kindness can help integrate these insights into daily life (positivity.org)
“Peace begins with a smile.” – Mother Teresa shows that small acts of kindness and presence can cultivate calm and connection (Wisdom Quotes)
“When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world.” – Maha Ghosananda highlights the importance of inner harmony as the foundation for external peace (Wisdom Quotes)
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius teaches that peace arises from controlling perception and accepting what cannot be changed (positivity.org)
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr. emphasizes love and understanding as pathways to peace (Goodreads)
“Peace is not a big thing to be obtained. It is the small things that bring peace.” – Thich Nhat Hanh encourages mindfulness in everyday moments as a source of tranquility (positivity.org)
