Attend QUAL Lab Speaker Series with Roshaunda Breeden on Oct. 23
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23
- Time: 2-3 p.m.
- Location: Zoom (register today)
- Presenter: Roshaunda Breeden, assistant professor, North Carolina State University
Join the UGA qualitative research program for the UGA QUAL Lab Speaker Series, “Miles Away, But in Our Own Backyard: A Participatory Action Study Examining Relationships Between Historically White Institutions and Black Communities,” presented by Roshaunda Breeden.
In her presentation, Breeden will present a rich discussion of the relationships between historically white institutions (HWIs) and their local Black communities, using a participatory action research (PAR) methodology grounded in Critical Race Theory and undergirded by endarkened feminist epistemology. The study focuses on two key research questions:
- How do Black communities experience and make meaning of their local HWI?
- How does history intersect between Black communities and the university?
Rooted in PAR, the study involved two Black undergraduate co-researchers from Athens, Georgia, and employed an intergenerational approach to data collection, centering the voices of Black undergraduate students, community leaders, and families from the Athens-Clarke County area. Findings revealed strained relationships, intentional erasure of Black history, and a legacy of institutional racism from their local HWI, the University of Georgia. In collaboration with the community, participants’ experiences were shared through Athens Vignettes, a stage play featuring three vignettes, which offered a powerful medium for performative counter-storytelling to highlight these injustices.
Although the study is situated in Athens, Georgia, the implications extend to institutions with similar historical legacies across the United States. HWIs can improve their relationships with Black communities by acknowledging their racial histories, atoning for the harm caused, and instituting systemic changes to benefit future generations of Black families and communities. This session invites attendees to reflect on the roles of power, history, and race in shaping university-community relationships and to consider strategies for fostering equitable and just research partnerships.