In 2019, Lumina Foundation conducted extensive research on American’s attitudes and awareness toward racial equity. From this work, Hattaway Communications developed the Racial Justice and Equity Frame: an adaptable framework for communications of all kinds, for all kinds of audiences, and by all kinds of messengers. By drawing on the framework as inspiration, communicators can deliver a consistent and motivating message that gets beyond abstract definitions to show what equity looks like in practice, lay out the causes and consequences of inequities, and invite audiences to take action to make opportunity real.
Opportunity is meaningful to people, but to get beyond the buzzword, we must define it and connect it with measurable outcomes.
No matter where you come from, what you look like, or how much money your family has, everyone should have what they need to learn, grow, and thrive.
People across audiences relate to this values statement. This frame also speaks to “real opportunity” for everyone, because equity doesn’t stop at opportunity; people need to experience it in their lives in tangible, meaningful ways.
Opportunity depends on who you are and where you come from.
Fifty-six percent of Americans believe that opportunity isn’t equal in the United States. Stating that opportunity isn’t equal is evocative but not controversial, and it confronts the “bootstraps” metanarrative that rests on the idea that as long as you work hard, you can succeed.
Policies, practices, and beliefs—rooted in history and still affecting people today—keep many Black, Native American, Hispanic, and Latino people from the education and skills they need.
Americans across the political spectrum who are familiar with the concept of racial equity believe achieving it is an important goal. Specific, tangible examples that expose hidden barriers that unfairly affect individual lives make complicated, systems-level concepts real for people.
We can remove barriers for students to right the wrongs and achieve just and fair outcomes for all.
Audiences agree that support and resources benefiting Black, Native American, Latino, and Hispanic communities that have been left behind can also make our systems work more fairly for everyone. Real actions are meaningful actions.
Our minds make sense of the world through stories. The Aspirational Narrative provides a structure and language to effectively communicate the ideas in the Racial Justice and Equity Frame. It begins with students and their aspirations, so that the work speaks to shared motivations and shows how an equity approach helps them confront obstacles and overcome them to achieve their goals.
The following are best practices, rooted in research, for communicating the ideas in the Racial Justice and Equity Frame.
Read the full Message Manual to communicate more effectively about racial equity.
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Lumina’s racial equity research included a national opinion and message-testing survey about opportunity and racial equity in the United States In 2020, Lumina released these data for public use.
A 2022 Survey of 3,403 Americans
This report outlines insights from a national opinion and message-testing survey about opportunity and racial equity in America, conducted by Hattaway Communications and Lumina Foundation. This survey builds on in-depth research with Lumina grantees, educators, policymakers, and business leaders about racial equity in post-high school education to provide the perspective of those who are not necessarily thinking about racial equity on a daily basis.