As structural and systemic racism have become more commonplace concepts, there is a growing awareness about how structures (e.g., policies, programs, practices) contribute to the inequities we see in every system (e.g., healthcare, education, criminal legal system) between historically/systematically marginalized and privileged groups in the United States. For real and sustainable change to occur, individuals within these systems must continue to intentionally establish equitable structures and not reinforce overt or covert discrimination. This same intentionality should and must be applied to the work of people using qualitative research methods. During this course, Dr. Black will provide participants with key foundational knowledge and adaptive strategies for developing, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating qualitative data utilizing approaches that uplift equity and don’t reinforce structural discrimination in qualitative inquiry.

Topics that will be covered on Day 1 include:

• Approaching communities you have not previously worked with
• Considering (mis)alignment of participant-researcher social identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, education level, income level)
• Options for how and where the participant-researcher exchange takes place
• Equitable participant incentives
• Importance of framing interview questions

Topics that will be covered on Day 2 include:

• Viewing the data from a systems-level perspective
• Opportunities to engage participants after data collection
• Walking in and out of relationships with participants
• Sharing findings with participants and the wider community

Dr. Black will use examples from her own qualitative and community-based participatory research, as well as interactive activities to engage the course participants in lively and informative discussions about how qualitative researchers can effectively incorporate equity approaches in their engagement with the communities they work with and serve.