Latinx Responsive Evaluation Discourse
.jpg "Gabriela Garcia photo")
Gabriela Garcia
Community Advocate & Co-Creator
BECOME
Wood Dale, Illinois, United States
Allison Shurilla, MPP (they/them/theirs)
Founder and Lead Consultant
AS Community Consulting, Inc.
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Emely Medina-Ridriguez, n/a
Principal Consultant
EMR Evaluation, United States
.jpg "Alisha Garcia Flores, MUPP (She/her/hers/ella) photo")
Alisha Garcia Flores, MUPP (She/her/hers/ella)
Director of Evaluation and Data
Enlace Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Wanda Casillas, n/a
Associate Research Professor
Claremont Graduate University, United States
Location: White River Ballroom H
Abstract Information: Storytelling is a powerful tool for humanizing data and catalyzing change. It is through stories that we, as human beings, connect and relate with one another, make meaning of our lived experiences, convey cultural norms and values, and preserve the depth and complexity of the human experience (Drake, 2002). The theme of this conference thus led us to think about: how are we, as program evaluators, including the stories of Latino/a/e/x communities in our evaluation work as a way of preserving and contributing to our understanding of culturally-situated experiences? What is the evaluator’s responsibility to honor and uplift the rich diversity and cultural wealth found within the Latino/a/e/x population? And in what ways can we do so? The U.S. Latinx/Hispanic population accounts for 19% of the total U.S. population and are the largest and fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the U.S. Between 2010 and 2021, Latinx/Hispanic accounted for 52% in the increase of the U.S. population- greater than any other racial/ethnic group (Manuel Krogstad, Passel, & Noe-Bustamante, 2022). If we, as evaluators, are striving to conduct culturally competent evaluations that are grounded in our American Evaluation Association Guiding Principles, then we need to intentionally share with one another how we’re engaging the Latino/a/e/x population within our evaluation work, building capacity in Latino/a/e/x communities, and leveraging evaluation as a tool for social betterment in these communities. Through the strategy of storytelling, a group of panelists from the LaRed TIG will reflect on and respond to the following guiding questions: -How do you learn about the Latino/a/e/x community that you’re working with/for? How do you determine what language to use when addressing a population with such rich and diverse identities? -How do you prioritize Latino/a/e/x community members and other stakeholders in an evaluation for the benefit of the Latino/a/e/x population? What opportunities/barriers have you encountered? -How do you think about your identity(ies) and connection to the Latino/a/e/x community? What assets or challenges do your identity markers present for conducting an evaluation? -What does it look like to successfully incorporate Latino/a/e/x voice within the evaluation process? What tactics, strategies, or professional characteristics support your work? For the first hour, the panel will begin with a brief introduction of the panelists, followed by the moderator posing questions to the panelists. Session attendees will be able to ask questions to the panelists and share their own reflections on this topic during the last half hour of the session. This panel offers a significant opportunity to nurture reflective dialogue and storytelling amongst evaluators as it relates specifically to Latino/a/e/x communities.
Relevance Statement: Providing opportunities for evaluators to reflect and discuss ways in which we are inclusive of and responsive to the growing U.S. Latino/a/e/x population is critical if we want to continue providing culturally competent evaluations that are useful and relevant. Given that 1 of every 5 U.S. residents is Latino/a/e/x (Mendez, 2022), evaluators have a moral responsibility to discuss not only how we’re being inclusive of this population, but what we are learning and how we’re highlighting and preserving their stories, experiences and diversity. The Latino/a/e/x population is not a monolith but instead, “is racially, culturally, linguistically and socioeconomically diverse” (Mendez, 2022). Storytelling is one strategy that can aid evaluators with uplifting and preserving the richness and depth of working with and for our U.S. Latino/a/e/x population. In addition to providing a space for evaluators to be in dialogue and reflection, this proposal also advances the importance of multicultural validity. Multicultural validity refers to recognizing culture as central to our evaluation work. How and to what extent evaluators attend to aspects of culture impacts the legitimacy of an evaluation. Related to validity, is also the value placed on different ways of knowing (Althaus, 2020) in Latino/a/e/x communities. For instance, whereas storytelling may not be a traditional source of knowledge in the social sciences, an epistemological lens that places value on culturally and historically embedded stories of community experiences is necessary for designing and implementing evaluations in communities of color. Honoring such ways of knowing, not only within Latino/a/e/x communities but also among the evaluators that serve those communities, increases the validity of our work and our understanding of how to best serve Latino/a/e/x communities through our evaluations. Therefore the practice of storytelling is not only a “way of knowing”, but also a useful and valuable tool that evaluators working in culturally-situated communities could harness for better understanding, more valid evaluations, and in service of social betterment. Lastly, this proposal addresses the importance of context and culture, which underlies four of the five AEA Guiding Principles. More specifically, this proposal supports evaluators in attending to the importance of: -Conducting evaluations that are contextually relevant and appropriate (Systemic Inquiry); -Ensuring that the evaluation team collectively possesses or seeks out the competencies necessary to work in the cultural context of the evaluation (Competence); -Acknowledging the influence of culture within and across groups (Respect for People); and -Contributing to the common good and advancement of an equitable and just society (Common Good and Equity). Althaus, C. (2020). Different paradigms of evidence and knowledge: Recognising, honouring, and celebrating Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 79(2), 187-207. Mendez, L. (2022, October 27). Latino population grows and makes gains in U.S., but differences exist among groups. UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/latinos-make-gains-but-differences-exist-among-groups