For too long institutional research (IR) has played a merely descriptive role within higher education. Generating, cleaning, and disseminating data have become the building blocks of the field. These actions can no longer serve an institution accountable to its constituents in a world of injustice and a global health crisis. IR professionals will need to turn off autopilot to enhance our roles as advocates and storytellers. Join Deborah Lee from Concordia University Irvine and Rosa Belerique from the New York Film Academy in this call to action as we discuss how to understand and use data for effective advocacy.