About The Lab

Championing Racial Equity through Data

Numbers 4 Justice was founded out of a personal commitment to create a space where critical, rigorous justice-driven quantitative research could flourish. Our collaborative brings together scholars and scholars-in-training who believe that, when used critically and responsibly, data can illuminate the lived experiences of those too often reduced to statistics and drive meaningful change.

For us, numbers are tools, not truth. We recognize that numbers and data do not simply reflect reality, but are themselves social constructions. The questions we ask, what or who we count, how we measure and categorize, how we analyze and model, and how we interpret and imbue meaning to findings all reflect our values, perspectives, and commitments. Every step in the research process is shaped by social, historical, and political forces, and our mission is to make these processes transparent and accountable to the communities most impacted by systemic inequities.

Our Vision & Mission

We envision a world where data is a tool for justice, not a mechanism of power. Our mission is to advance anti-racist research through critical quantitative methodologies that recognize numbers and categories as social constructions shaped by history, politics, and values. We are committed to reflexivity, transparency, and accountability to the communities most impacted by systemic inequities.

Our Guiding Principles

Humanity & Justice

We pursue research that captures the full humanity of historically marginalized people and communities, highlighting not only the injustices they endure but also their resilience, resistance, agency, and joy.

Informed Perspectives

We ground our studies in the intersectional social locations and lived experiences of marginalized communities, centering the richness and complexity shaped by overlapping systems of power and context.

Collaborative Mentorship

We engage in teamwork, multidirectional mentorship, and hands-on training to empower emerging researchers to conduct advanced quantitative inquiry deeply informed by critical, justice-oriented, and liberatory paradigms.

Social Transformation

We generate data and insights as tools for meaningful change, supporting communities and decision-makers to address systemic inequities, reimagine policy and practice, and co-create conditions where all people can flourish.

Innovating Solutions

The lab employs innovative quantitative methods to address pressing social issues in education, policing, immigration, and health. This includes developing surveys grounded in lived experiences and translating state laws into accessible and analyzable databases.

Equipping Future Leaders

The lab trains students in the art and science of critical quantification. We foster mentorship and collaboration, and provide hands-on experience, equipping students with the essential skills to lead transformative research in their future careers.