41 strategy officer, who is charged with accelerating the shift toward innovation. “We’ve got to be a part of that movement in leveraging new technologies to open up windows of opportunity.” As awareness of systemic discrimination and racism grows, society and public policy are slowly changing. Although racial discrimination still exists, leaders at the NAACP say there is a greater sense of will and purpose to confront racial injustice. In part, this is because the data being uncovered by the NAACP and other justice organizations is hard to ignore. Thanks to the efforts of individuals and community organizers, the nation is seeing more action against practices such as dumping harmful waste in Black neighborhoods and denying access to the ballot. Meanwhile, through the Justice40 executive order from January 2021, the White House is directing 40 percent of federal infrastructure investments to communities of color— where public and private investments have lagged or been diverted or withheld, causing generational disparities. That redistribution of investments will expand broadband internet to communities where it is lacking, many of them Black. And there are growing demands for greater corporate accountability, including targeted advocacy toward companies that create toxic air pollution disproportionately impacting the health of people in Black communities. The need for community organizing informed by authoritative, place-based research, data science, and mapping has never been more important. That’s why the NAACP has embraced GIS as a strategic tool for making its activism more personal, relevant, engaging, and effective. Quantifying Human Experience through Data The NAACP’s civil rights advocacy and activism, much of it carried out through local chapters, aims to improve life expectancy and other outcomes for African Americans. Programs and initiatives focus on protecting voting rights and pushing for economic inclusion, environmental and climate justice, and access to world-class education, as well as opportunities that help develop the next generation of leaders. Protecting the lives and interests of Black people also requires identifying and eradicating harmful and devaluing messaging and imagery about people of color. For decades, the NAACP’s organizers and members have used maps to visualize the landscape and pinpoint hot spots where injustice is happening. Maps supported legal action aimed at protecting voting rights in the Georgia and Florida elections in 2021. Maps helped tell the story of how government disinvestment left residents with contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi— documenting the geographic reach of negative health outcomes and loss of life due to irresponsible policies. When residents in Flint turned on their taps and received water from a contaminated river in 2014, they complained about the discoloration and stench, and reported related health problems. Tragically, consumption of water from the Flint River has been linked to a 12 percent drop in fertility rates and a 58 percent increase in fetal deaths in affected neighborhoods, according to a report from the National Partnership for Women & Families. Equity and Social Justice A map of NAACP office locations shows how the network of advocates spans the nation.
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