Advancing Antiracism in Community-Based Research Practices in Early Childhood and Family Mental Health

Pursuing Research Justice Through Community–Academic Partnership to Address Racial Disparities in Preterm Birth

“…This reflective process is necessary for progress in achieving the systemic changes needed to address racism impacting racial disparities in health. 16 Our findings highlight the critical need for academic institutions to assess their anti-racist practices, including representation of affected communities, particularly in their leadership, as a means of ensuring that resources, power, and opportunities reflect the aim to address racial disparities. 26 Language used in communicating priorities, including defined primary or excluded groups, mirrors the ongoing evolution of language and understanding of diverse communities within U.S. society.…”

“…27 A study of a CAP evaluation published in 2022 similarly described the need for academic partners to embed an anti-racism focus in research structures and processes as a key lesson from their efforts. 16 PTBi-CA continued to pursue ways of addressing racism as a root cause of racial/ethnic disparities in PTB rates, including explicitly committing to addressing anti-Black racism. 28 Community-based participants expressed the need for a greater voice in the initiative, reflecting their personal experience, and expertise in community-based work, which is a common issue in studies on CAP.…”

“…[11][12][13][14][15] Further, barriers to research participation by marginalized communities have been described, however few studies explicitly focus on CAP addressing racism. 16 The University of California, San Francisco's (UCSF) California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi-CA) is a place-based research effort in Fresno, Oakland, and San Francisco, California striving to close racial and ethnic gaps in PTB through authentic CAP.…”