By working within the established African American community network in Northern Virginia, especially the Boys & Girls Club, we aim to:

  • Document the on-going efforts to identify priority issues, determine the root causes and local conditions behind those issues, and implement action steps that are effective and culturally/contextually responsive.
  • Identify strategic ways in which CEHD can partner with the established African American community network to support an expansion of that work.

    By utilizing a community-based participatory research approach, we explore the lived experiences of African American children, youth,and their families who have been the hardest to reach and serve. By building relationships with marginalized families, we aim to not only understand their needs and community challenges, but to facilitate their sustained engagement in efforts to improve the well-being of their children and families.

CBPR Study: Black Family Life in a Gentrifying Community

In collaboration with the AFAM Community Advisory Board (CAB) developed through the partnership with the Boys & Girls Club, a study was conducted to:

  1. Examine the lived experiences of Black residents
    of neighborhoods targeted for housing
    redevelopment;
  2. Document their treatment by neighbors, service
    providers, schools, and housing agency officials;
    and
  3. Examine individual, familial, and community
    strengths and strategies for surviving and resisting
    systemic racism and marginalization.

Learn more here.