Reproductive Justice, Public Black Feminism in Practice: A Reflection on Community-Based Participatory Research in Cincinnati
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. A Century of Reproductive (In)Justice in Cincinnati
“In 1850, the Black infant mortality rate was one and a half times higher than the rate for white infants. In 2000, the disparity was two and a half times higher. It is astonishing to see that even under the strictures of enslavement, Black women had significantly better birth outcomes than they do today”.
3. CBPR Reproductive Justice Review
a scientific revolution that centers Black Mamas and communities to determine which research questions are most important to them, what research questions should be prioritized, and what methods and analytic procedures should be used to provide meaningful data that should inform policy, funding decisions, and health services provision [22].
Foundational in their list of best practices for Black maternal health research is the need to honor and commit to engaging with Black mamas throughout the entire research process.
a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings. CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community and has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities [33].
4. Building a Community Partnership
5. How and Why Some CAB Members Decided to Join This Project?
6. Doing Community-Based Participatory Research
6.1. From Framing the Research Question to Creating the Interview Guide
6.2. Data Collection: From Recruiting to Interviewing before and after COVID-19
6.3. Data Analysis: Coding as a Community Insider
6.4. A Conscious Plan: Research Translation and Community Inclusion
7. Final Thoughts: Future Research Combining Black Feminist Epistemological and Methodological Approaches with Community-Based Participatory Methods
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
- Listen actively—try not to interrupt when others are speaking.
- Try to keep side conversations to a minimum.
- Speak from your own experience rather than generalizing.
- Respect our diversities and extend grace to others. (If you make a mistake, just apologize, learn from it, and move on!)
- Lean in to discomfort, rather than trying to avoid it.
- Question ideas, not people.
- Keep what we talk about in this room confidential, particularly around the traumas folks might have experienced.
- Be sensitive.
- Allow people the right to pass. Sometimes people do not respond immediately to things because they are processing. Not everything needs an immediate answer, and no one owes anyone else anything.
- Ask questions openly and without fear from judgment.
- Be transparent—be real, be your authentic self.
- Build relationships among group members—try to feel close to others. This is our space!
References
- Ross, L.; Solinger, R. Reproductive Justice: An Introduction; University of California Press: Oakland, CA, USA, 2017. [Google Scholar]
- Luna, Z. Reproductive Rights as Human Rights: Women of Color and the Fight for Reproductive Justice; New York University Press: New York, NY, USA, 2020. [Google Scholar]
- Collins, P.H. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment; Routledge: New York, NY, USA, 2000. [Google Scholar]
- Kendall, M. Hood Feminism; Bloomsbury Publishing PLC: London, UK, 2021. [Google Scholar]
- Peters, W.H. Cincinnati’s Participation in Sheppard-Towner Work: Intensive Work Among the Colored People Revealed Alarming Facts Concerning Preventable Deaths, Representing Approximately Two Million Dollar Economic Loss Annually; The Modern Hospital Publishing CO., Inc.: Chicago, IL, USA.
- Lindenmeyer, K. Saving Mothers and Babies: The Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act 1921–1929 with Emphasis on It’s Effects in Ohio. Master’s Thesis, Department of History of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA, 1987. [Google Scholar]
- Giffin, W.M. African Americans and the Color Line in Ohio, 1915–1930; Ohio State University Press: Columbus, OH, USA, 2005. [Google Scholar]
- Crumbine, S.J. A Statistical Report of Infant Mortality for 1926. Am. J. Public Health 1927, 17, 922–927. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Rouan, R. Despite Years of Efforts to Combat Infant Mortality in Ohio, Racial Disparity Increases. The Columbus Dispatch. 2020. Available online: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/government/2020/12/17/ohio-infant-mortality-drops-but-black-babies-still-more-likely-die-gov-mike-dewine-forms-task-force/3945254001/ (accessed on 10 November 2021).
- Greater Cincinnati Urban League. The State of Black Cincinnati 2015: Two Cities; 2015 Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio: Cincinnati, OH, USA, 2015; Available online: http://homecincy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/The-State-of-Black-Cincinnati-2015_Two-Cities.pdf. (accessed on 22 January 2022).
- Singh, G.K.; Yu, S.M. Infant mortality in the united states, 1915–2017: Large social inequalities have persisted for over a century. Int. J. MCH AIDS 2019, 8, 19–31. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ohio Department of Health. 2019 Ohio Infant Mortality Report; Ohio Department of Health: Columbus, OH, USA, 2020. [Google Scholar]
- Davis, D.-A. Reproductive injustice: Racism, pregnancy, and premature birth. In Anthropologies of American Medicine: Culture, Power, and Practice; NYU Press: New York, NY, USA, 2019. [Google Scholar]
- Moore, E.; Blatt, K.; Chen, A.; Van Hook, J.; DeFranco, E.A. Relationship of trimester-specific smoking patterns and risk of preterm birth. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2016, 215, 109.e1–109.e6. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Braveman, P.; Dominguez, T.P.; Burke, W.; Dolan, S.M.; Stevenson, D.K.; Jackson, F.M.; Collins, J.W., Jr.; Driscoll, D.A.; Haley, T.; Acker, J.; et al. Explaining the Black-White Disparity in Preterm Birth: A Consensus Statement from a Multi-Disciplinary Scientific Work Group Convened by the March of Dimes. Front. Reprod. Health 2021, 3, 684207. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rhodes, S.D.; Malow, R.M.; Jolly, C. Community-based participatory research: A new and not-so-new approach to HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment. AIDS Educ. Prev. 2010, 22, 173–183. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Craddle Cincinnati. State of Maternal and Infant Health in Hamilton County, Ohio. 2021. Available online: https://www.cradlecincinnati.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2020-Infant-Mortality-Report-Slide-Deck-Compressed.pdf (accessed on 22 January 2022).
- Dehlendorf, C.; Akers, A.Y.; Borrero, S.; Callegari, L.S.; Cadena, D.; Gomez, A.M.; Hart, J.; Jimenez, L.; Kuppermann, M.; Levy, B.; et al. Evolving the Preconception Health Framework: A Call for Reproductive and Sexual Health Equity. Obstet. Gynecol. 2021, 137, 234. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- World Health Organization. Consolidated Guideline on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women Living with HIV; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2017. [Google Scholar]
- Julian, Z.; Mengesha, B.; McLemore, M.R.; Steinauer, J. Community-Engaged Curriculum Development in Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity: Structures and Self. Obstet. Gynecol. 2021, 137, 723. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- McLemore, M.R. Reimagining methodological considerations for research studies using’big’administrative data sets. Paediatr. Perinat. Epidemiol. 2021, 35, 491–492. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- BMMA Research Working Group. Black Maternal Health Research Re-Envisioned: Best Practices for the Conduct of Research with, for, and by Black Mamas. Harvard Law Policy Rev. 2019, 14, 393–415. [Google Scholar]
- Chigudu, H. Deepening our understanding of community-based participatory research: Lessons from work around reproductive rights in Zimbabwe. Gend. Dev. 2007, 15, 259–270. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Guerin, P.B.; Allotey, P.; Elmi, F.H.; Baho, S. Advocacy as a means to an end: Assisting refugee women to take control of their reproductive health needs. Women Health 2006, 43, 7–25. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Devine, A.; Ignacio, R.; Prenter, K.; Temminghoff, L.; Gill-Atkinson, L.; Zayas, J.; Marco, M.J.; Vaughan, C. “Freedom to go where I want”: Improving access to sexual and reproductive health for women with disabilities in the Philippines. Reprod. Health Matters 2017, 25, 55–65. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Vaughan, C.; Zayas, J.; Devine, A.; Gill-Atkinson, L.; Marella, M.; Garcia, J.; Bisda, K.; Salgado, J.; Sobritchea, C.; Edmonds, T.; et al. W-DARE: A three-year program of participatory action research to improve the sexual and reproductive health of women with disabilities in the Philippines. BMC Public Health 2015, 15, 984. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Fakoya, I.; Cole, C.; Larkin, C.; Punton, M.; Brown, E.; Ballonoff Suleiman, A. Enhancing Human-Centered Design with Youth-Led Participatory Action Research Approaches for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programming. Health Promot. Pract. 2021, 23, 25–31. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Khalesi, Z.B.; Sigaroudi, A.E.; Farmanbar, R. Participatory Action Research Approach to improve Adolescent Girls’ Reproductive Health. JBRA Assist. Reprod. 2020, 24, 416. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wilson, T.E.; Gousse, Y.; Joseph, M.A.; Browne, R.C.; Camilien, B.; McFarlane, D.; Mitchell, S.; Brown, H.; Urraca, N.; Romeo, D.; et al. HIV prevention for Black heterosexual men: The barbershop talk with brothers cluster randomized trial. Am. J. Public Health 2019, 109, 1131–1137. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Valdez, E.S.; Andrade, R.; Palafox, M.M. Developing a Binational Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership to Address Reproductive Health on the US–Mexico Border. Prog. Community Health Partnersh. Res. Educ. Action 2019, 13, 265–271. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Aparicio, E.M.; Kachingwe, O.N.; Phillips, D.R.; Jasczynski, M.; Cabral, M.K.; Aden, F.; Parekh, E.; Espero, J.; Childers, C. “Having a Baby Can Wait”: Experiences of a Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion Program in the Context of Homelessness among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander Youth Captured Through PhotoVoice. Qual. Health Res. 2021, 31, 228–240. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Vaughn, L.M.; Jacquez, F. Participatory Research Methods–Choice Points in the Research Process. J. Particip. Res. Methods 2020, 1, 13244. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Faridi, Z.; Grunbaum, J.A.; Gray, B.S.; Franks, A.; Simoes, E. Community-based participatory research: Necessary next steps. Prev. Chronic Dis. 2007, 4, A70. [Google Scholar]
- McCuistian, C.; Peteet, B.; Burlew, K.; Jacquez, F. Sexual Health Interventions for Racial/Ethnic Minorities Using Community-Based Participatory Research: A Systematic Review. Health Educ. Behav. 2021. ahead of print. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Baffour, T.D.; Chonody, J.M. African-American women’s conceptualizations of health disparities: A community-based participatory research approach. Am. J. Community Psychol. 2009, 44, 374–381. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Nypaver, C.F.; Shambley-Ebron, D. Using community-based participatory research to investigate meaningful prenatal care among African American women. J. Transcult. Nurs. 2016, 27, 558–566. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ringel-Kulka, T.; Jensen, E.; McLaurin, S.; Woods, E.; Kotch, J.B.; Labbok, M.; Bowling, M.; Dardess, P.; Baker, S. Community-based participatory research of breastfeeding disparities in African American women. ICAN Infant Child Adolesc. Nutr. 2011, 3, 233–239. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Chambers, B.D.; Arega, H.A.; Arabia, S.E.; Taylor, B.; Barron, R.G.; Gates, B.; Scruggs-Leach, L.; Scott, K.A.; McLemore, M.R. Black women’s perspectives on structural racism across the reproductive lifespan: A conceptual framework for measurement development. Matern. Child Health J. 2021, 25, 402–413. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Garbers, S.; Falletta, K.A.; Srinivasulu, S.; Almonte, Y.; Baum, R.; Bermudez, D.; Coriano, M.; Iglehart, K.; Mota, C.; Rodriguez, L.; et al. “If You Don’t Ask, I’m Not Going to Tell You”: Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Inform Pregnancy Intention Screening Processes for Black and Latina Women in Primary Care. Women’s Health Issues 2020, 30, 25–34. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Johnson, C.E.; Ali, S.A.; Shipp, M.P.L. Building community-based participatory research partnerships with a Somali refugee community. Am. J. Prev. Med. 2009, 37, S230–S236. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Scott, K.A.; Bray, S.; McLemore, M.R. First, do no harm: Why philanthropy needs to re-examine its role in reproductive equity and racial justice. Health Equity 2020, 4, 17–20. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Smith, S.A.; Whitehead, M.S.; Sheats, J.Q.; Ansa, B.E.; Coughlin, S.S.; Blumenthal, D.S. Community-based participatory research principles for the African American community. J. Ga. Public Health Assoc. 2015, 5, 52. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- OPEN. Ohio Legislation and Litigation; Ohio Policy Evaluation Network: Columbus, OH, USA, 2021; Available online: https://open.osu.edu/legislation-and-litigation/ (accessed on 10 November 2021).
- Norwood, C. Mapping Intersections of Violence on Black Women’s Sexual Health within the Jim Crow Geographies of Cincinnati Neighborhoods. Front. J. Women’s Stud. 2018, 39, 97–135. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Green, L.W.; Mercer, S.L. Can public health researchers and agencies reconcile the push from funding bodies and the pull from communities? Am. J. Public Health 2001, 91, 1926–1929. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Quinn, S.C. Protecting human subjects: The role of community advisory boards. Am. J. Public Health 2004, 94, 918–922. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Vaughn, L.M.; Jacquez, F.; Zhen-Duan, J.; Graham, C.; Marschner, D. Latinos Unidos por la Salud: The Process of Developing an Immigrant Community Research Team. Collab. J. Community-based Res. Pract 2017, 1, 2. [Google Scholar]
- Reif, S.; Wilson, E.; McAllaster, C.; Berger, M. Southern HIV/AIDS Strategy Initiative. HIV Infrastructure Study, Cincinnati Ohio June 2015. 2015. Available online: https://southernaids.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/sasi-cincinnati-report-final.pdf (accessed on 20 January 2018).
- Planned Parenthood. State and Federal Attacks Force Closure of 2 Cincinnati Planned Parenthood Health Centers, As Ohio Battles Rising STI Rates. 2019. Available online: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-southwest-ohio/who-we-are/newsroom/breaking-relentless-state-and-federal-attacks-force-closure-of-2-cincinnati-planned-parenthood-health-centers-as-ohio-battles-rising-sti-rates (accessed on 15 November 2021).
- Norwood, C. Misrepresenting Reproductive Justice: A Black Feminist Critique of the “Protecting Black Life. Signs J. Women Cult. Soc. 2021, 46, 715–741. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Roberts, D.E. Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty; Pantheon Books: New York, NY, USA, 1997. [Google Scholar]
- Maloney, M.; Auffrey, C. The Social Areas of Cincinnati: An Analysis of Social Needs: Patterns for Five Census Decades, 5th ed.; University of Cincinnati School of Planning/United Way/University of Cincinnati Community Research Collaborative: Cincinnati, OH, USA, 2013; Available online: http://www.socialareasofcincinnati.org/files/FifthEdition/ (accessed on 13 November 2021).
- Harris-Perry, M.V. Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America; Yale University Press: New Haven, CT, USA, 2011. [Google Scholar]
- Lawrence-Lightfoot, S.; Davis, J.H. The Art and Science of Portraiture; Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA, USA, 1997. [Google Scholar]
- Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk; Essays and Sketches; McClurg, A.G., Ed.; Johnson Reprint Corp: New York, NY, USA, 1903. [Google Scholar]
- Cacari-Stone, L.; Wallerstein, N.; Garcia, A.P.; Minkler, M. The Promise of Community-Based Participatory Research for Health Equity: A Conceptual Model for Bridging Evidence with Policy. Am. J. Public Health 2014, 104, 1615–1623. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gill, T.M. Beauty Shop Politics: African American Women’s Activism in the Beauty Industry; University of Illinois Press: Urbana, Singapore, 2010. [Google Scholar]
- Brewer, L.C.; Asiedu, G.B.; Jones, C.; Richard, M.; Erickson, J.; Weis, J.; Abbenyi, A.; Brockman, T.A.; Sia, I.G.; Wieland, M.L.; et al. Emergency Preparedness and Risk Communication Among African American Churches: Leveraging a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership COVID-19 Initiative. Prev. Chronic Dis. 2020, 17, 200408. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Harmon, B.E.; Kim, S.; Blake, C.E.; Hebert, J.R. Health Care Information in African American Churhes. J. Health Poor Underserved 2014, 25, 242–256. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Sankaré, I.C.; Bross, R.; Brown, A.F.; Del Pino, H.E.; Jones, L.F.; Morris, D.M.; Porter, C.; Lucas-Wright, A.; Vargas, R.; Forge, N.; et al. Strategies to Build Trust and Recruit African American and Latino Community Residents for Health Research: A Cohort Study. Clin. Transl. Sci. 2015, 5, 412–420. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. |
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Norwood, C.; Jacquez, F.; Carr, T.; Murawsky, S.; Beck, K.; Tuttle, A. Reproductive Justice, Public Black Feminism in Practice: A Reflection on Community-Based Participatory Research in Cincinnati. Societies 2022, 12, 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12010017
Norwood C, Jacquez F, Carr T, Murawsky S, Beck K, Tuttle A. Reproductive Justice, Public Black Feminism in Practice: A Reflection on Community-Based Participatory Research in Cincinnati. Societies. 2022; 12(1):17. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12010017
Chicago/Turabian StyleNorwood, Carolette, Farrah Jacquez, Thembi Carr, Stef Murawsky, Key Beck, and Amy Tuttle. 2022. "Reproductive Justice, Public Black Feminism in Practice: A Reflection on Community-Based Participatory Research in Cincinnati" Societies 12, no. 1: 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12010017