Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes
We’ve all heard the saying, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.”
It’s a reminder of the importance of practicing radical empathy—listening actively, with curiosity rather than judgment, and remembering that everyone has a unique lived experience. This month, we’re sharing resources that help us see the world from different points of view and respect varied perspectives.
August Coffee Break Picks
EBONY’S PICK
Resources for Inclusive Research Design
“I am always looking to use racial equity tools, techniques, and methods to create more inclusive research designs. So, I would like to share the ‘Inclusive Evaluations’ resource page on the website, Racial Equity Tools. This page includes readings and resources that focus on inclusiveness in evaluations, including participatory and collaborative evaluation. These learnings are particularly poignant after the recent end to affirmative action and the current attack on critical race theory.”
AMANDA’S PICK
Disruptor and Artist, Gregg Deal’s 2023 AAM Keynote
“I didn’t go to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) annual meeting this year. The keynote from Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe), a multi-disciplinary artist, activist, and ‘disruptor,’ is the one reason I had FOMO. So, I was very glad that AAM shared a video of the talk. I enjoyed seeing and hearing him talk about his artwork. But more, I appreciated hearing his ("horrific") experience working as a native person in a museum of native culture: ‘We would hear in a week what a native person might hear in a lifetime, racially.’ Start it up at 5 minutes 30 seconds.”
STEPHANIE’S PICK
Walk and Talk Interviews
“Recently our attention has returned to an infrequently-used qualitative method, the Walk and Talk interview. This method feels more relevant than ever at the moment. Walk and Talk interviews involve a researcher accompanying a research participant in a particular location posing open-ended questions along the way. They are excellent for exploring the relationship between people and place. Though labor-intensive, I think Walk and Talk interviews have great potential to help us understand all the nuances involved in visitors feeling welcome (or not) in museums.”
What’s New At Kera?
Cathy will be attending the SEGD Conference Experience in Washington, DC from August 23-26. The conference aims to explore the impact experiential design has had on local and global communities. Say hi to Cathy if you are attending!
We have many new project summaries on our website, ranging from a front-end evaluation for a science center to impact planning for a coalition of history organizations. Check them out here!
On our Learning Hub last month, Ebony wrote about using transcript review to acknowledge power dynamics in evaluation,and Cathy shared what The Art of Gathering taught her about convening focus groups.
Moment of Wonder
“Earlier this summer on vacation in Pakistan, I was able to visit Qilla Rohtas, a 16th-century fort built near my husband’s hometown. The architecture and grounds were incredible—I felt like I was a video game character on a quest!”
— Lina
