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301792
Studying Experiences of Racism among African Americans in Tallahassee, Florida: A Community-University Collaboration
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tariana V. Little, B.A.
,
Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
Kourtney K. Collum, M.S.
,
Department of Anthropology, University of Maine, Orono, Orono, ME
This poster presents on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project focused on experiences and consequences of structural and interpersonal racism among African Americans in Tallahassee, Florida. Research on discrimination is of growing interest as a factor contributing to health, as a growing body of empirical research links subjective experiences of discrimination, or perceived discrimination, to health disparities. With funding from the National Science Foundation, from July-August, 2013, eight doctoral students from U.S. universities participated in an ethnographic field school coordinated by Dr. Clarence Gravlee from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida, in collaboration with community representative Ms. Miaisha Mitchell and other community partners from the Health Equity Alliance of Tallahassee (HEAT). Students lived with host families in the community, received didactic and hands-on training in ethnographic methods including PhotoVoice, participant observation, and semi-structured and structured interviewing, and were immersed in diverse community activities including community garden work, public forums, and political activism. Collaborating with visiting researchers and local leaders, students designed and conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 Tallahassee residents. Unexpectedly, the timing of the field school coincided with high-profile political events in Florida, notably the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin. In this poster, we explore the benefits of community-university collaboration from a student perspective, as well as challenges including: harmonizing community and researcher priorities, managing time, building trust, engaging in mutual learning, and equitably distributing resources and authority. We also argue for increased hands-on training in CBPR as part of graduate training.
Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify key aspects of community-based participatory research, as established by the project team.
Demonstrate the process of collaboratively creating and negotiating an interview protocol on a highly sensitive topic.
List various components of the field school, including participant observation and political activism.
Discuss the implications of studying racism in the context of high-profile events that were perceived by the community as racist and discriminatory.
Describe the challenges and benefits of community-university research partnerships.
Keyword(s): Community-Based Research (CBPR), African American
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I participated as a fellow in the 2013 Ethnographic Field School, which included didactic and experiential learning, community-based activities, and collaborative creation and administration of in-depth interviews on experiences of racism and discrimination.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
