10 ACTION TYPES - 18 INSTITUTION TYPES - 10 LISTS
Data for Social Change Codebook.
The structure of the database was shaped by four key sectors we wanted to target: public, private, academic, and civil society. From there, we further broke down the sectors into sub-sectors, or types of institutions. We also found patterns in institutional responses and categorized them by action, along with curating specific lists of interest.
| Action Type | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Actions of Accountability | Actions that execute addresses or offers
reparations for acts of racism and racial
injustice | Charlotte’s mayor apologizes for the city’s
role in systemic racism; Breonna Taylor’s
murderers being arrested |
Associated Movements | Any social change movement or awareness
campaign that was created, revamped, or
directly influenced by the racial activism after
the murder of George Floyd on May 25th,
2020 | Black Trans Lives Matter, Black Birders Week,
#HireBlack, #ShutDownSTEM
#SupportBlackOwnedBusinesses; Washington
Redskins removing the Native American
image as their mascot; Indigenous Lives
Matter movement in Brazil |
Expression of Solidarity | Written/verbal statements or artistic displays
that explicitly stand with the Black Lives
Matter movement or in solidarity with
creating an antiracist culture and society | Morgan Stanley releases a statement
standing with Black Lives Matter and
protesters; Washington, D.C paints Black
Lives Matter on the avenue in front of the
White House |
Honoring Black History and Culture | Actions that highlight businesses, individuals,
organizations, or events that honor Black
history and culture | Virginia recognizes Juneteenth as a statewide
holiday; University of Texas renames building
after civil rights leader; Netflix releases
special collection of movies/shows that
highlight the black experience |
Organizational Change | Actions within an institution that produce
fundamental changes to how an organization
is structured, operates, and/or conducts
business with the intent to directly benefit
Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) | Feeding America reevaluates their core
mission and commits to a stronger focus on
communities of color; The Spokane City
Council hired its first-ever equity manager;
AirBnB introduces Project Lighthouse to
uncover, measure, and overcome
discrimination within the company |
Police Reform | An organizational change or action within a
police department that creates fundamental,
systematic change that affects more than one
officer | New Jersey introduces bill that establishes
the crime of strangulation chokeholds;
Connecticut limits police use of force and
enforces accountability |
Policy Advocacy | Statements or actions that explicitly
recommend policies for governance to
directly benefit Black, Indigenous, or People
of Color (BIPOC) | The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus releases
their priorities for the 2020 special session;
American Academy of Ophthalmology calls on
police departments to end the use of rubber
bullets and similar projectiles against
protestors |
Public Policy Action | Any proposed or passed regulation or law
that addresses an anti-racist culture or
promotes racial justice | City of Missoula to invest $100K to develop
pro equity policy agenda; Iowa City Council
prepares to form commission to take on
racism in Iowa City |
Removal of Racist Symbols | Statements or actions associated with
removing racists symbols, such as building
names, statues, team names, or brand names | Lady Antebellum changes name to Lady A;
Confederate statues removed in Richmond,
Virginia; NASCAR bans confederate flags at
races |
Resource Contribution | Statements or actions that provide resources
that benefit Black, Indigenous, or People of
Color (BIPOC), such as monetary donations,
in-kind donations, scholarship funds,
sponsorships, mentorship programs,
leadership programs, etc. | Verizon commits $10 million to aid
organizations dedicated to equality and social
justice; George Soros' Open Society
Foundation invests $220 million into different
organizations committed to improving Black
communities; SMU Cox establishes new
scholarship to aid diversity outreach +
recruitment |
| Institution Type | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Charitable Organizations | An organization with a philanthropic mission | The Salvation Army, Open Society
Foundations, The Nature Conservancy, Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation |
Fashion and Beauty Industry | A retail or e-commerce company that
provides products and services in the fashionand beauty industry | Sephora, Ulta, LuluLemon, Burberry |
Federal Government | Any office within the federal branches of
government (executive, legislative, judicial)
and its associated departments | Department of Labor, Peace Corps, U.S.
Postal Service, Office of the President |
Financial Institutions | Corporations that provide financial services
and operate within financial markets | Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Chase, Wells
Fargo, VISA |
Food and Beverage Industry | A company that processes, packs, distributes,
or serves food and beverage materials | Pepsi, McDonalds, a restaurant chain, Tyson,
AB-ImBev |
Healthcare Industry | An institution that provides medical services
or a company that creates, distributes, or
sells medical/pharmaceutical products | Pfizer, Mount Sinai Hospital, Merck, CVS
Pharmacy |
Higher Education | An institution or department within an
institution past the high school level that
grants academic degrees or certifications and
conducts research | United States Military Academy, School of
Science at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, University of California Santa
Barbara, Harvard |
Local Government | Any office or individual acting in their official
capacity within the local
(county/city/metroplex) branches of
government (executive, legislative, judicial)
and its associated departments | New York City Council, Louisville Metro
Council, the Mayor of Chicago |
Media and Entertainment Industry | An institution that produces or engages in
film, print, radio, and television such as
movies, TV shows, radio shows, news, music,
artists, newspapers, magazines, and books | Netflix, NBC, Universal Studios, Sony, Time,
New York Times, casinos |
Non-Governmental
Organizations/Non-Profits | An organization that operates independently
of any government body, typically one whose
purpose is to address a social or political issue | American Red Cross, Feeding America, YMCA,
Goodwill, the Nature Conservancy |
Private Miscellaneous | Any private firm that does not fit in any of the
other listed categories. | Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target, Aflac |
Pre K-12 Education | An institution or entity that educates
students in early childhood education up to
the 12th grade such as school districts,
national daycare centers, and public, charter,
and private schools | Primrose Academy, Dallas Independent
School District, Richmond Public Schools |
Professional/Academic Networks | A group of professionals or individuals
connected within a specific discipline related
to research, professions, or hobbies | Scrabble Association, Association of Medical
Colleges, Association of Black Psychologists,
National Basketball Players Association |
Religious Institutions | An organization that teaches religious
principles or an institution designated as a
place of worship or gathering place for
religious groups | Catholic Church, Islamic Center of
Washington, Union Theological Seminary |
Research Institutions | An institution that is solely dedicated to
conducting research and other think-tanks
institutions | UT Southwestern Medical Center, Brookings
Institute, Aspen Institute, Heritage
Foundation |
Sports Organizations | An organization that facilitates professional
or recreational sporting events | National Football League, National Basketball
Association, The Wizards, The Capital,
STAPLES Center, NASCAR |
State Government | Any office or individual acting in their official
capacity within the state branches of
government (executive, legislative, judicial)
and its associated departments | Iowa Legislature, New York State Assembly,
The Office of the Governor |
Tech Firms | A company that develops and manufactures
technology products or provides
technological services
* This includes social media tech firms. | Apple, IBM, Microsoft, Instagram |
| List Name | Description | List Tag | List Inclusion Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
International | List of actions taken by governments or institutions based internationally | international | all data points that have a location outside of the United States |
Dow Jones Companies | List of actions taken by the top 30 publicly-owned companies in the United States | dowjones | https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/components/dow_jones |
Largest 50 Cities | List of actions taken by public institutions in the largest 50 cities in the United States | top50cit | https://www.politifact.com/largestcities/ |
Democrat-Led Governments | List of actions taken by public institutions led by Democrats (local, state, national) | demled | this will require extra research to determine if local/state gov is rep/dem led |
Republican-Led Governments | List of actions taken by public institutions led by Republicans (local, state, national) | repled | this will require extra research to determine if local/state gov is rep/dem led |
Top 50 Retail Stores | List of actions taken by Top 50 U.S. Retailers | top50ret | |
Top 50 Charities | List of actions taken by Top 50 U.S. Charities | top50char | https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-charities/#537bd92c5f50 |
Top Universities | List of actions taken by Top 50 U.S Universities | top50uni | https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities |
Defund the Police | List of actions taken that reduce or reallocate police budgets | defund | this tag is specific to police reform data points that explicity answer call to "defund the police" |