Collecting Equity Stories

We were so excited to get started capturing our stakeholders’ equity stories, but not too fast. As it relates to equity, we had work to do. Specifically, we wanted to address the following demonstrating our commitment to applied learning: 

Exploring these questions was generative. First, it gave us an opportunity for self-study and reflection to gain the insight needed to do the equity work at “home,” that is, in our organizations and as a collaborative. Moreover, going through the exercise of gathering our internal organizational equity stories, served as a pilot for conducting interviews with our stakeholders. As such we learned how process, technique, and other factors could influence the stories we gathered. For example, there was more to it than just sitting down to see how things were going. For example, one member noted that she was aware that her interview was, “very constrained by hierarchy.” Another noted that conducting the interviews was “fun, but stressful.” 

Regarding the finished products, there were some key learnings as well. Several collaborative members indicated that they felt they had “lost some of the energy” in retelling another’s stories. From this experience, they committed to using recording devices to make sure they honored the interviewee’s voice in the retelling. 

• Equity begins at home–Understanding equity or lack thereof within your home organization and what it suggests before going out to interview others

• Anticipate how your positionality–Who you are and your relationship to the interviewee may impact your conversation. If you think about it ahead of time, you may be able to make some sort of accommodation or modification to delimit the constraints.

• Prepare and Practice–Pilot your interviews to learn how your questions are received. in preparation included