We have always been data gatherers. We have always been the scientists who analyze the data and we have always been the community that participated in the analysis to ensure the well-being of our future generations.

Abigail Echo-Hawk

How do we gather data in a good way? This week, Abigail Echo-Hawk, the Chief Research Officer at Seattle Indian Health Board and Director of the research division, Urban Indian Health Institute, was featured on Flash Forward discussing this topic.

Flash Forward is a podcast that imagines future scenarios. This episode looks at a future where you can own or sell your personal data directly to companies, or as Abigail discusses, a future where data has been decolonized.

Abigail’s portion of the episode starts at around 46:25 and describes what the future would look like if data actually matched our experiences and concentrated on our strengths instead of our deficits—what would it look like if people realized that we have always been data gathers, scientists that analyze the data, and a community that helps with that analysis. Listen now!

Featured illustration by Matt Lubchansky