Having knowledge is a right, not a privilege. In today’s knowledge-based economy, it’s a premium — and yet, grassroots communities are not seen as ‘knowledge’ producers and the unique knowledge that lives in the communities is often considered invalid. This reality undermines the community’s ability to solve their own problems and achieve change.
Research Justice recognizes people’s intelligence not just based on formal education level but as inclusive of firsthand experiences and culture. It’s critical that community members drive their own research — which includes agenda setting and determining the research goals — to truly affect change. Research Justice suggests a path to unleash the power of our communities to transform their realities by taking informed action.
DataCenter offered us expertise in research while respecting the leadership, vision and social justice values of our membership. Together we were able to produce research that surpassed our own expectations.”
— Ai-jen Poo, Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance
For almost ten years, DataCenter has been developing, popularizing, and expanding its flagship Research Justice training curriculum. The curriculum has been packaged into a new toolkit titled An Introduction to Research Justice. The toolkit aims to build the capacity of grassroots organizers and community members and better equip marginalized communities to reclaim, own, and wield all forms of knowledge and information. With strategic support, the knowledge and information generated by these communities can be used as political leverage to advance their own agendas for change.
The toolkit effectively:
- Explores the theory of Research Justice – a strategic framework that seeks to transform structural inequities in knowledge production
- Advances community-driven research as a powerful tool to build grassroots power
- Helps participants choose which research methods will prove most effective for their campaigns and organizing objectives
- Employs popular-education techniques to encourage leadership development
Download this free toolkit at datacenter.org/store.
This toolkit is the first of a series of Research Justice toolkits. Be sure to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter at datacenter.org/subscribe and join us on Facebook at facebook.com/researchjustice for more toolkit releases!