Activist web.(DataCenter)(Brief Article)

When it comes to research, activists often don't have enough. Activism is fast-paced and under-resourced. Research, on the other hand, can feel slow and expensive, so it often gets second priority. But when critical information emerges too late, we quietly complain, if only I had known this sooner.

The DataCenter's new website (www.datacenter.org) will help organizations avoid this pain. DataCenter.org reflects nearly 25 years of experience helping organizers and activists get the best information, in the most efficient and effective way possible, before making critical decisions.

Many of you know the DataCenter. We began in 1977 as the Investigative Resource Center, a small library in downtown Oakland where activists could do research on corporations, plant closures, the military industrial complex, and foreign policy, especially in Latin America. Over the years, we grew into a national organization that has provided customized research services and training to thousands of activists.

As one example, a national environmental justice campaign wanted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release a report admitting to the sources and dangerous health effects of dioxin, an industry-produced toxin that poisons communities of color disproportionately. But many worried that the EPA-appointed committee in charge of reviewing and releasing the report would drag its heels. DataCenter ...