CBPR and Social Justice

"Community-based participatory research ... is anchored by several main pillars, including recognition of the community context, indigenous knowledge, and practices; shared leadership and decision-making; capacity building; and empowerment and transformation for social change (Blumenthal, 2011; Minkler & Wallerstein, 2003; Wallerstein et al., 2005). When applied in real-life scenarios, CBPR fosters mindful and reciprocal relationships by deflating power imbalances and dismantling distrust between mainstream academic researchers (outsiders) and refugee community constituents (insiders) (Tobias et al., 2013).

"Participatory Action Research (PAR), from which CBPR derives, has been described as a “decolonizing methodology” that counters social inequities through the emphasis on community members and researchers coproducing knowledge to promote social change (Kia-Keating & Juang, 2022). CBPR includes rigorous approaches to engage community members and reduce power differentials, including scrutiny of community members' and researchers' gains and potentials for harm from the research process, and the accountability of the latter to the former (Kia-Keating & Juang, 2022). Such approaches are key to transformative work with marginalized communities in a societal and institutional climate of structural racism."

— Morrison, S.D., Young, A.J. and Sudha, S. (2023), Youth Capacity Building and Leadership Through CBPR and Conflict Transformation with the Montagnard Refugee-Origin Community. J Leadersh Stud, 17: 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21857

Example: The Montagnard Hypertension Research Project, 2012-17

• Project collaboration among service learning and research students from five higher education institutions.

• Closely integrated, mutually supportive projects, budgets and community capacity building outcomes.

• 5 Montagnard students from Guilford College’s Bonner Center for Community Service and Learning worked with Montagnard Health Disparities Research Network (MHDRN) to execute long term, site-based service projects in which they recruited, trained and lead highly diverse teams of minority, first generation, international, refugee and immigrant students from Guilford, UNCG and other campuses to deliver service to the community.

• 25+ Montagnard youths, a mix of college and high school students, trained as research assistants playing key roles advising and designing focus group, interview and survey instruments, contacting families and arranging home interviews, and directly assisting numerous families in crisis.

• Youth trained in Human Subjects Protection, literature searches, and use of appropriate technology in data collection and analysis. They participated in weekly research meetings in order to expose and socialize students to all aspects of the research process: community engagement, cross cultural exposure, multi-disciplinary approaches, basic qualitative and statistical research methods concepts, questionnaire design, IRB training, practical experience with interviews, data analysis, and dissemination. 

• They gathered behavioral data and biological samples from more than 130 individuals while presenting results in co-authored reports and to academic and community audiences, while winning awards at regional conferences.

• Post graduate and career navigation guidance

• 10,000+ student service learning hours; $40,000+ student research assistantships. Regional, state and institutional recognition of students and faculty for exemplary CBPR.

• More than 300 families received health screenings and other health and social services information and assistance at community fairs. 

Notable Firsts

• First Bonner Scholar Award to a Montagnard Jarai recipient (Lek Siu). Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award recipients for distinguished service in the local Community, Lek Siu ’16 and Hlois Mlo ’18. First Bonner Scholar Award to a Montagnard Rhade recipient (Hlois Mlo). First Bonner Scholar Award to a Montagnard Bunong recipient (Sel Mpang). First Guilford College Bonner Center Public Health Fellow (Sachi Dely). First BS in Public Health Education (Community Health focus), UNCG (Hlat Mlo). First Undergraduate Research Assistantship for Community-based research (Branda Mlo). First Sadye Dunn Doxie Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Award recipient (Nhung Budam). First Jarai community book, Medicinal and Food Plant Use of Montagnard Communities in Greensboro, NC. First CBPR partnership project  to engage tribal elders, religious leaders, Montagnard health professionals, lay health workers, mothers/grandmothers, and youth, and interdisciplinary faculty and students in hypertension research from across multiple higher education institutions.

Secondary outcomes

Young Montagnard researchers guided other MHDRN faculty to other significant research. 

• They formed the Montagnard American Organization, the youth branch of MDA, and then negotiated with Smithsonian National Folk Festival officials to organize a special cultural program in 2015. 

• They played key roles in This is My Home Now, aired by PBS in 2015 on the anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

• They formed the Montagnard Population Count Project in 2018 to gather data the Census routinely misses and to use it to make evidence-based policy arguments. 

Peer reviewed    

• First published paper documenting the community based participatory research (CBPR) process with the Montagnard Community, Morrison, S., Shreeniwas, S. Young, A., Dharod, J., Nie, Y B., Siu, H W., Adrong, H Y., Sayers, J., Bernot, K., Malotky, M. & Nsonwu, M. (2018) When community calls, we collaborate! Community-based participatory research with the multi-language Montagnard refugee community. Progress in Community Health Partnership: Research Education and Action vol. 12, issue 2, Summer 2018 pp. 179-186

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See

• College-Community Course (2019)

• Montagnard Hypertension (2012 – present)

• Participatory Defense (2013-14)

• Urban Farming Project (2014 –16)

• Ethnobotany Project (2015 – present)

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Related 

• Morrison, S., Sudha, S. (Oct, 2014). Turning Community Service into Academic Research. Bonner Congress, Guilford College, Greensboro NC

• Mayes, K., Malotky, M., Nsonwu, M., Smith, G., Young, A., Mlo, H L., Siu, L., Ksor, V., Lee-Brown, M., Shreeniwas, S.,Morrison, S., Bernot, K. (Oct 2015). Design of a Course based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Focused on Health Disparities in Immigrant / Refugee Communities. Undergraduate Research Symposium. North Carolina A&T State University. Greensboro, NC

• Malotky, M., Nsonwu, M., Mayes, K., Smith, G., Young, A., Mlo, H L., Siu, L., Ksor, V., Lee-Brown, M., Shreeniwas, S., Morrison, S., & Bernot, K. (Oct 2015). Design of a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Focused on Health Disparities in Immigrant / Refugee Communities. SENCER SCI South Regional Meeting. Asheville, NC

• Young, A., Malotky, M., Swoap, A., Barber, Z., Morrison, S., Bernot, K., Mahowald, S. (Feb 2016). High Impact Practices: Engaging with Immigrant Communities. Campus Compact PACE conference, High Point NC

• Morrison, S., Shreeniwas, S., Young, A., Adrong, H’Y. (Mar 2016). Mobilizing and Mentoring the Next Generation Through CBPR: The Montagnard Refugee Household Hypertension Project. Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC

• Veale, S., Mayes, K., Mann, S., Ksor, V., Mlo, H L., Siu, L., Smith, G., Guinyard, M., Nsonwu, M., Young, A., Malotky, M., & Bernot, K. (Mar 2016). Student Learning Gains in a Health Disparities Research Course. North Carolina Academy of Science Annual Conference. High Point, NC

• Young, A., Malotky, M., Renfrew, B., Bush, C., Raczkowski, C., Morrison, S., Bernot, K., Shreeniwas, S., Dharod, J. (Apr 2016). Food Health and Culture: What the Montagnard Refugee Community Can Teach Us. Presented by the Montagnard Health Disparities Research Network. IDS Speaker Series, Guilford College, Greensboro NC

• Bernot, K., Malotky, M., Nsonwu, M., Mayes, K., Smith, G., Guinyard, M., Young, A., Mlo, H L., Siu, L., Ksor, V., Lee-Brown, M., Shreeniwas, S., Morrison, S. (Jul 2016).  A Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Focused on Health Disparities in Immigrant / Refugee Communities improves scientific literacy, cultural competency and ability to work in groups.  SABER National Meeting 2016 Society for Advancement of Biology Education Research Minneapolis, MN

• Young, A., Shreeniwas, S., Morrison, S., Denzongpa, K., Ksor, V. (Mar. 2017). Mentoring the New Diversity Generation in Service-Learning and Community-Engaged Research: What Must the Academy Bring to the Table? Gulf South Summit Conference, University of North Carolina Greensboro, NC

• Young, A., Rodas-Garcia, D., Stevenson, E., Mantuano, M., Premslyer, L. (Jun 2017). No Service, No CBPR. Bonner Foundation Summer Leadership Institute, Lindsey Wagner College, KY

• Young, A. (Aug 2017) Engaging the New Diversity: Connecting Service Learning/Community Engagement (SLCE) to Research. Campus Compact Summer Network Meeting, Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer, NC

• Shreeniwas, S., Morrison, S., Young, A. (Oct 2017). Human Development and Family Studies Professional Seminar: CBPR, Community Engaged Research, R01 Grants and Community Partnerships. A slide show presentation for UNCG faculty and graduate students demonstrating how CBPR practice connects to NIH funding opportunities.

• Bernot, K., Morrison, S., Nsonwu,M., Sudha, S., Malotky, M. (Sept 2017). Community engagement as a mechanism for integrated learning in undergraduate research experiences. UNC GA Undergraduate Research Council Retreat, Chapel Hill, NC

• Morrison, S., Shreeniwas, S. Young, A., Dharod, J., Nie, Y B., Siu, H W., Adrong, H Y., Sayers, J., Bernot, K., Malotky, M. & Nsonwu, M. (2018) When community calls, we collaborate! Community-based participatory research with the multi-language Montagnard refugee community. Progress in Community Health Partnership: Research, Education and Action.