Research Justice institute
The Research Justice Institute (RJI) is housed at the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC). We support and advance research and data in our region through our work with BIPOC serving community-based organizations and dominant institutions. The division of RJI’s work – between CBOs and dominant institutions – is framed by our understanding of the differences between equity and justice. Our work with dominant institutions (e.g., governments, universities, health systems, philanthropy) focuses on advancing equity within organizations so that BIPOC communities are better represented and served. Our work with BIPOC serving organizations supports justice efforts, which are center work that builds capacity and community power on the terms of communities of color. The RJI’s work is guided by several concepts that are elaborated below.
For more information about our research and data justice work, please contact Dr. Andres Lopez, Research Director, at andres@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org.
cONCEPTS THAT GUIDE OUR WORK
Equity and Justice
Equity is the work that is often supported by the agenda, timeframe, strategic direction, and boundaries of dominant institutions (e.g., those organizations that wield power, resources, and funds like governments, philanthropy, health systems, and for-profits). These efforts can support community-led approaches, but they are often still in the service of the dominant; they tend to produce gradual changes. Equity work can meaningfully impact people's everyday lives, but equity work does not radically disrupt systems that reproduce injustices.
Justice work is always led by and centered in the desires, vision, and timeframes of communities that are most impacted by historically and presently oppressive systems. These efforts can support and pair well with dominant approaches towards equity. Still, they are first and foremost of, by, and for the community, often pushing beyond the dominant's comfort level or boundaries. These efforts seek revolutionary, sustainable, and dramatic shifts in systems that reproduce injustices.
Community-informed and Community-led
RJI is committed to being clear about the differences between work that is informed by community and that which is truly led by community. The distinction is meant to clarify and signal different modes of interaction and engagement between the dominant and community. Most work initiated, supported, and led by the dominant typically invites community to contribute perspectives on policies, priorities, programs, etc., to share their needs and experiences, and to serve on committees or advisory boards. Community-informed work typically asks communities to be responsive to the agendas, timelines, and terms of the dominant and may be asked to lead some aspects of the work. Community-led work is initiated and led by communities in all respects. The dominant may support community-led efforts in ways that meet their needs and desires; however, often these supports, especially financial ones, tend to impose dominant constraints on otherwise community-led efforts. Community-informed work is the most common way that the dominant interacts and engages with communities.
Quantifying and Qualifying
Dominant research and data methods and practices overwhelmingly rely on and value quantitative data to drive decision making. Dominant institutions develop strategies and approaches for engaging with communities that depend on the quantification of lived experiences, including their needs, challenges, and barriers. We refer to this over-reliance on numbers and statistical data as quantitative supremacy because other ways of knowing community experiences – through stories, narratives, art and other visual expressions – and learning from them are often subjugated, devalued, and considered “supplementary” data. While we recognize the importance of quantitative data, which are especially useful for understanding population level trends, our work centers research and data practices that qualify, rather than quantify, everyday lived experiences of communities of color. We work with dominant institutions to integrate qualitative data into decision making processes. We work with BIPOC serving CBOs to build capacity to collect, synthesize, and communicate their communities’ stories and other community-led ways of understanding lived experiences. We firmly believe that these kinds of data speak more clearly to structural inequities as well as to the needs, solutions, and desires of communities.
Accountability
Dominant institutions often demonstrate accountability through quantitative metrics, benchmarks, and statistics to show the impact of their work and approaches to their communities. While this is important, community members see accountability in more relational ways. Relational modes of accountability generate meaningful processes, communication, and feedback about what is and isn't possible; they ensure follow-through on what transpired beyond a reporting out of numbers; and they share knowledge and resources. RJI is committed to promoting accountability in ways that promote healthy relationships between community members and the institutions/organizations that serve them.
Intersectional Community Power Building
The RJI’s work is explicit about leading with race. However, we recognize that racial justice cannot be realized without centering the needs and desires expressed through people’s intersectional social positions. Therefore, our work seeks to be intentional about utilizing methods and approaches around disability justice, queerness and queer of color critiques, feminism, and intergenerational work.