RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Mapping Black California (MBC), a product of Black Voice News (BVN), is relaunching its website with a groundbreaking new data tool, the Mapping Black California: Black-Led Organization (BLO) Directory. BVN is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This type of longevity is rare for any publication and it is especially significant for the Black woman-owned media news outlet. The BLO Directory is the cornerstone project of the anniversary celebration, demonstrating the publication’s continued commitment to problem-solving using reliable data and community input.
It is the first and only comprehensive statewide interactive map of Black-led organizations in California. This is MBC’s newest and most robust flagship project. It is also a response to existing data gaps within the Black community. “For Black analysis, finding race disaggregated data is a greater challenge than your typical research project […] This Directory is the first step towards the centralized, complete resource on Black determinants California needs,” shared Alex Reed, MBC Project Manager and lead staffer developing the project. She underscored the need to have access to complete datasets that substantively inform solutions to support MBC’s commitment to engineer solutions to fill the data gaps.
“This project has been more than a year in the making. We couldn’t have done this without consistent and ongoing support from our partners,” shared Mapping Black California Founder Paulette Brown-Hinds. Spearheaded by the MBC team, the BLO Directory will receive additional technical support from a RomoGIS to expand its feature offerings. The Directory has received funding support from The California Endowment, IECF and SoCalGas. SoCalGas has been one of the projects lead partners, encouraging its development and continuous expansion.
“The mapping project gave us better insights into our giving and support in the Black community measured against data on population needs. It also created not only a database, but a geographical visual of Black-led nonprofits serving California. Elevating this work to help more Black-led nonprofits expand their service in the community is important to me personally, and to SoCalGas,” shared SoCalGas Community Relations Director, Trisha Muse.
The BLO Directory uses GIS data, specifically Esri’s ArcGIS, Story Maps, and ArcGIS Hub, to support data visualization. It leverages and expands existing regional lists and databases to provide a more holistic view of the state’s organizations led by Black people developing solutions for Black communities.
The interactive map allows users to apply multiple search filters based on their specific query including youth, civic, senior, health services and more. Designed to be a living project, Reed and the MBC team consistently update the database to make sure that site users have the most accurate information available.
###
Learn more about this work at mappingblackca.com/contact-us.
To get involved or to support our work, contact:
Candice Mays, Mapping Black California Project Director
1201 University Ave # 210, Riverside, CA 92507
Office: (951) 682-6070
