"Makeda Tadesse is a research assistant at the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice, previously working as an undergraduate researcher at the center. She is currently involved in a project researching effective policy interventions to reduce drowning rates in black and brown communities. In 2022, Makeda graduated with a B.S. in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota, specializing in inequality and development. She has worked as a researcher and data analyst since 2019 and has offered research and consulting services for grassroots nonprofit organizations. Her passion lies in exploring the intersections of economic policy and cultural anthropology, focusing on human rights, sustainable development, and peace-building. She is particularly interested in understanding power structures and learning how to offer care to vulnerable populations. Her goal is to contribute to the dialogue around policies that perpetuate poverty and inequality and utilize data visualization as a powerful tool for information accessibility and community engagement. Makeda is a fellow alumna of The Policy Academies and current Emerging Curators Institute Fellow."