Research in Action outlines five‑year Minnesota study on institutional impacts on Black women, girls and femmes
Loading...
Summary
Emily Cavassos of Research in Action told the Moorhead Human Rights Commission on Oct. 15 that a Bush Foundation‑funded, five‑year project has launched a statewide baseline survey of Black women, girls and femmes; the survey (compensated with a $20 gift card) is open through Oct. 31 and aims for 600 responses.
Emily Cavassos of Research in Action presented the firm’s five‑year initiative to the Moorhead Human Rights Commission on Oct. 15, describing a statewide baseline survey now open through Oct. 31 that seeks to measure how health care, housing, education and criminal‑justice institutions affect Black women, girls and femmes.
"We are using our first year...to gather the first ever statewide data to improve services," Cavassos said. She said the first‑year survey is intended as a baseline for later work that will include a Community Action Council and co‑created evaluation scorecards for county programs.
Cavassos said Research in Action received a Bush Foundation grant to fund the multi‑year project (the group described the award as a "Bush grant") and stressed the team is pursuing community‑based methods. The survey is compensated: each participant receives a $20 gift card. To protect data quality, the project is distributing single‑use codes through trusted partners at in‑person events rather than relying only on open public links.
Cavassos said the project set regional quotas based on American Community Survey data and was about 74% toward its goal of 600 responses at the time of her presentation. The project’s later phases will convene a Community Action Council of 16–18 Black women, girls and femmes (ages 14 and up) alongside 6–8 county program representatives, conduct regional focus groups in spring, and publish a report in February following year‑one analysis.
Cavassos said Research in Action is coordinating with Minnesota’s Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls but is executing a parallel, independent project. She invited local partners and potential participants to an online info session next Wednesday from 12–1 p.m. and provided an email for contact: emilycavassos@researchinaction.com.
The project team plans to pilot the evaluation scorecard with two counties in year two and to expand statewide by year five.
