Follow Your Innate Sense of Justice with Emely Medina-Rodríguez

April 16, 2025

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“Follow your innate sense of justice, because that’s truly what got me here. That feeling of “there’s something that needs to be made better.” It needs to be made more just in this society. Sometimes we doubt that so much, that innate sense of justice that we have. And I feel like future generations, even when you’re in doubt, follow that, and that will get you to the right place.”

–Emely Medina-Rodríguez

Dr. Emely Medina-Rodríguez, a social researcher and program evaluator committed to equity and culturally responsive practices, shares the story of her journey from Puerto Rico to Chicago and the events that inform her practice and activism as a researcher. Her storytelling teaches listeners about the need to challenge extractive traditional research practices that don’t prioritize the needs of communities, and to have a power analysis be “part of the equation” in research and evaluation.

Meet Emely

Coming to the US after having a complete life in Puerto Rico was, to say the least, life-changing. It wasn’t only the language that changed, but the culture, manners, and values people have or do not have in the US.

After 9 or 10 years living in the US, I found many good things about the people and many bad things about US politics. The first thing I did after moving to Chicago was to get integrated into activism by getting with other Puerto Ricans and founding the Boricua Chicago Resistance. I also started my doctoral courses in higher education. I believe that what I’ve learned from activism, I have been able to translate to school and work, and vice versa.

I learned participatory methods of discussion with La Nueva Escuela, a group working in communities with the youth to organize and discuss the independence of Puerto Rico. Since my early twenties, I got into feminist and socialist groups that were my true school for liberation. This also gave me a basis to question academia from a more radical standpoint. I bring this identity to my work by highlighting the ways in which evaluators of color are immersed into the communities they work in and have a responsibility to serve and facilitate as well as recognize their biases.

I integrate participatory methods into my work, especially in facilitating dialogue among team members and the community. I believe freedom and justice come from the community, and only the community can save themselves.

You can connect with Emely on LinkedIn.