“Strained Relationships”: A Participatory Action Research Study Examining Relationships Between Black Communities and Historically White Institutions

Abstract

This study explored the relationships between historically white institutions (HWIs) and their local Black communities. Using participatory action research (PAR) methodology, grounded in a critical race theoretical framework, undergirded by endarkened feminist epistemology, our research question was: How do Black communities surrounding University of Georgia make meaning of their local HWI? Rooted in PAR methodology, this study included two Black undergraduate coresearchers from Athens, Georgia. Together, we used an intergenerational approach for data collection, centering the voices of Black undergraduate students, community leaders, and families from the Athens-Clarke County community. Findings are presented as theatrical performance based on performative counterstory.