The Grandmother Perspective: Indigenizing Data

In recent years, the importance of disaggregated data in uncovering systemic racism and inequalities has become increasingly clear. This data, which provides sub-categories of information such as by ethnic group, gender, occupation, or educational status, can reveal important relationships and disparities that aggregated data may miss. However, collecting and using this data can also cause harm if not done correctly. This is why BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) released a report in 2020 with recommendations on how to mitigate these potential harms while still leveraging the power of disaggregated data to create systemic change.

One of the key recommendations from the report was the adoption of “the Grandmother Perspective” offered by Gwen Phillips of the Ktunaxa Nation and BC First Nations Data Governance Initiative. This approach centers the importance of a strong relationship between the government or researchers and the affected community, and envisions a shift from data being used as a tool of control to a tool of care. This perspective is rooted in the concept of data sovereignty, where communities lead decision-making throughout the stages of data collection, storage, use, and distribution.

To put this perspective into action, BCOHRC recommended several steps to be taken by the government. These recommendations included the establishment of a Community Governance Board, which would be empowered to make collaborative decisions with the government on disaggregated data standards. The membership of this board would include members of systemically oppressed communities, and a Community Data Secretariat provided by the government would support this board and address any financial, logistical, or technological barriers to meaningful participation.

Another recommendation was to establish data standards that would require the definition of the purpose of each disaggregated data project in relation to a specific equity goal. This would maintain the focus on structural change and shift the framing from individual failure to systems failure. The development, design, and implementation of disaggregated data collection should also be rooted in an understanding that the categories being measured are socially constructed rather than biologically defined. This would change the research questions and analysis of the data, highlighting systemic issues rather than individual ones.

To prevent the use of disaggregated data as a tool of oppression and surveillance, BCOHRC recommended that the communities impacted by the systemic issue that each data project aims to address should identify the research questions, consider the use of disaggregated data as an appropriate tool, and shape the approach to data collection, use, and disclosure. Privacy protections should also be implemented in line with the Five Safes model and the mandate of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner should be extended to include the evaluation of complaints or concerns about the collection, use, or disclosure of data covered by legislation.

In conclusion, collecting and using disaggregated data can be a powerful tool in uncovering systemic racism and inequalities. However, it is important to be mindful of the potential harms that can arise, and to adopt approaches like the Grandmother Perspective to mitigate these harms. By building respectful relationships between the government or researchers and affected communities, and by grounding the use of this data in equity-based purposes, we can create a more equitable and just society that moves towards truth through care before reconciliation.

Source: Disaggregated demographic data collection in British Columbia: The grandmother perspective: https://bchumanrights.ca/publications/datacollection/