Reflections from Evaluators of Color

Racism is deeply ingrained in our social fabric and embedded in our political and institutional practices. While this is a long-standing issue, recent events and several field intermediaries are pushing grantmakers to deepen their commitment to racial equity as a core value and goal. While many of us welcome this trend, it also raises new questions about the role evaluators can play in advancing equity in this new era. We believe that evaluators of color are central to this conversation, and yet our field remains predominantly white. Using findings from exploratory research with emerging and mid-career evaluators in California, this think tank will explore how current thinking about what it will take to attract, cultivate, and support evaluators with diverse backgrounds might need to change in order to make progress on this issue. Participants will be invited to share their experiences and ideas to inform future research in other regions.