Abstract
In this chapter, the authors provide a case study and autoethnographic account of a youth-led, social justice-oriented, community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) project in Washington, DC. After providing background of action research, university-community partnerships, and the context of the partnership, the authors describe the three phases of the collaborative project that took place from Fall 2019 to Spring 2021. During this time, in the midst of a global pandemic, high school and college students, with support from teachers, implemented a mixed methods CBPAR project on making Black Lives Matter in schools. This chapter describes the steps taken and the lessons learned, with the intent of assisting the reader in potentially implementing something similar in their community or at their university.
TopBackground
Community-based research can be a powerful tool for social justice (Potts & Brown, 2005). When done well, it can uplift community concerns and empower those who are most deeply affected by an issue. The goal of traditional academic research, on the other hand, is to add to existing knowledge without necessarily considering real-world impacts or possibilities for social change (Hacker, 2013). One form of community-based research, community-based participatory action research (CBPAR), is a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves community members in both defining and proposing solutions to a problem (Wallerstein & Duran, 2010). At the most basic level,
Action research is a participatory process [that] seeks to bring together action and reflection, theory and practice, in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing of individual persons and their communities. (Reason & Bradbury, 2008, p.4)
Youth-led participatory action research is a CBPAR method that engages youth in the research process and empowers them to identify the problems they see and to be a part of the work to improve them (Ozer, 2017). Youth-led action research places young people in the position of co-researcher and, under the guidance of adult facilitators, empowers them to navigate the research and social change process. Through the process, young people become “agents of inquiry” and are treated as “‘experts’ about their own lives,” as they should be (McIntyre, 2000, p.126).
In the project described in this chapter, the authors applied the social justice research principles and methods of CBPAR to a youth-led action research project at a high school in Washington, D.C. This project was a community-university partnership between E.L. Haynes Public Charter School and American University. Given the history of problematic community engagement by universities, where the students do more harm than good or engage in “white saviorism” practices (Aronson, 2017; Tarantino, 2017), the authors committed to a long-term partnership to build the necessary rapport and capacity to engage in a meaningful and sustainable project.
Service-learning in higher education can be considered charity (deficit-based) or social change oriented (strengths-based) (Donahue & Plaxton-Moore, 2018; Morton, 1995; Santiago-Ortiz, 2019). Most universities offer experiential service-learning opportunities for their students, with some even requiring community service to graduate. However, some universities emphasize quantity over quality of community service. That is, admissions representatives boast about the number of hours students spend volunteering, with no regard for the quality of the type or purpose of the service. As Santiago-Ortiz (2019) writes: “[Traditional] [s]ervice-learning typically focuses on helping those who lack the resources for food, shelter, education, and other basic rights, and it is perceived as meeting individual needs but not usually as political action intended to transform structural inequalities” (p.44). That is, in traditional service-learning students are working in communities or “just trying to help” (a charity model) versus working with communities to make structural changes (a solidarity model).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Service-Learning: An experiential, pedagogical approach to learning where students, typically in secondary and post-secondary settings, volunteer in the local community while learning about the issues affecting the community in the classroom.
COVID-19 Pandemic: A global pandemic due to the rapid transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.
School-to-Prison Pipeline: The phenomena in the United States where harsh and zero tolerance school discipline policies in schools that predominately serve students of color are directly associated with the over policing and mass incarceration of young adults and adults in communities of color.
2020 Uprising: The protests against police violence and racism that erupted throughout the US and the world in the summer of 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd.
Community-Based Participatory Action Research: A form of social justice-oriented research where community members are experts and active partners in a social change-oriented research project. In youth led CBPAR teenagers and young adults are given the space, tools, and resources they need to lead a research project on a community issue they would like to see changed.
Autoethnography: A mixture of autobiography and ethnography where an author writes in the first person about their personal experience during a shared cultural experience.
Community-University Partnership: A partnership that provides community-based schools or organizations with additional resources to increase their capacity to reach their goals while simultaneously providing university students with experiential education outside of the classroom.
Black Lives Matter: A social movement against anti-Black racism, police violence, and anti-Black violence. It began in 2013. A coalition called The Movement for Black Lives includes more than 50 organizations working toward similar goals.
White Saviorism: When White people volunteer or work in communities of color and cause more harm than good because they believe they know what is best for the community or what will help the community.
Case Study: A form of research that presents a detailed examination and description of single or multiple cases on a theme.