Research for Action

Creating research and policy tools that help community leaders and organizing groups address issues of equity.

OAP’s research strategy seeks to continually connect the powerful tools of information, research, and analysis with the important work of community organizers.  To do this, we:

Frame the public debate.
We take the debate about race beyond data and disparities and frame it as an issue of structural inequities.  We connect the experiences of different racial and cultural groups, and build upon common themes and struggles.  These experiences help us develop public policy strategies that directly aim to build a racially just society.

Develop action tools.
Drawing on research, data, and community input, we create resources that guide race-conscious public policy proposals.  Our analysis reveals the impact of policies on issues from education to health care to criminal justice on communities of color, and provides alternative, equity-grounded strategies.

Make research matter.
We take our resources and tools into the community.  Through policy briefings with communities across the state, we provide meaningful information that allows organizers to frame messages in a relevant way.  We give community organizers the tools they need to make their voices stronger.