Welcome

Tuesday, June 8, 2021 – Thursday, June 10, 2021

Civic Engagement as a Catalyst 

for Community Change: 

2021 Research Grantee 

Dialogue

1

Mary Hyde, Ph.D.

Director, 

Office of Research and Evaluation
Civic Engagement as a Catalyst for Community 

Change: 2021 Research Grantee Dialogue

June 08, 2021

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity

2
3

Andrea Robles, Ph.D.

Research and Evaluation Manager

Office of Research and Evaluation

Panel Moderator

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
4

Anita Chikkatur, Ph.D.

Associate Professor,

Carleton College

2018 Grantee

Carleton College's Community Conversations project

Brian Coleman, MBA

Equity and Career 

Coordinator, 

Faribault High School

Emily Oliver, MFA

Associate Director

Carleton Center for 

Community and Civic 

Engagement

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
5

Grantee Program Accomplishments

• 3-year grant 

• Collaboration between Faribault Public Schools, 

Somali Community Resettlement Services, 

Community without Borders & Carleton College

• Faribault, MN: 23,000 residents; half of school 

district currently students of color

• Main research question: Why are students of color 

not graduating high school as the same rate as 

their peers?

• Grant funded multiple community research teams: 

Somali and Latinx parents; Somali and Latinx youth; 

white teachers

• Today’s focus is on the Year 3 youth participatory 

action research team in Faribault High School

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
6

Grantee Program Accomplishments

YPAR team: Four Latinx students, four Somali 

students

9 to 12th graders

Weekly meetings with Brian

Research question: What were students’ 

experiences of distance learning this year?

Research method: short interviews with 40 

students; currently in the process of analyzing 

their interview data

Research dissemination plan: videos in English, 

Spanish and Somali about their process and 

findings 

Facilitated by Brian Coleman

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
7

Refugee Civic Engagement

Anjali Dutt, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

University of Cincinnati, 

Department of Psychology 

2018 Grantee

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
8

Refugee Civic Engagement

Grantee Program Accomplishments

All of our research has been conducted in a 

collaborative participatory manner with 12 

members of local refugee communities. 

Throughout the grant period we have conducted 

two surveys and held focus groups to learn about 

the experiences of refugees in the region. Our first 

survey focused on civic life and goals of refugees 

in the region, and the second focused on how 

refugees were impacted by Covid-19.
9

Refugee Civic Engagement

Grantee Program Accomplishments

The findings from our research catalyzed three 

actions:

1. A social gathering to build community 

among refugees (switched gears as a result 

of Covid)

2. The development of videos and resources 

on how to navigate life in Cincinnati 

3. A Refugee and Immigrant Civic Leadership 

Workshop Series 
Jenna Cushing-Leubner, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

2018-2021 Grantee

Lub Zej Zog Project (WI, MN, CA)

Pang Yang, MEd

Executive Director

MN Zej Zog / Lub Zej Zog Project

2018-2021 Grantee

10

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
11

Grantee Program Accomplishments – Community

www.hmonglanguageresourcehub.com • 18 community-based units

• Community-developed teaching and learning standards

• Hmong ethnic studies curriculum/ training

• Moob Leeg/Ntsuab curriculum/ trainings

• Hmong language teacher licensing

• 9 Hmong youth/educator/community authored books

• Partnership with Somali heritage language teachers (MN) 

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
12

Grantee Program Accomplishments - Scholarship

Thong Vang –

Graduate Research 

Assistant

Vicky Xiong-Lor, Ph.D. –

Community Researcher

1 peer-reviewed article under review

5 articles in preparation

2 invited keynote presentations

9 regional, national, & international peer-reviewed 

conference presentations

• participatory infrastructure of complex 

community-engaged research and change 

projects

• youth, elder, and teacher collaborations for 

community-driven education transformation

• critical Hmong studies and heritage language 

curriculum development

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
13

Young Black Changemakers Study

Laura Wray-Lake, Ph.D.

Associate Professor 

Luskin School of Public Affairs

University of California, Los Angeles 

2017 Grantee

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
14

Young Black Changemakers Study

www.uclaybc.com

Key Research Questions: 

• How do Black youth become civically engaged? 

• What helps Black youth sustain their civic 

engagement? 

Rationale 

• We seek to challenge dominant narratives of Black 

youth and elevate the voices of young Black civic 

leaders to inform organizations and strengthen 

investments in communities of color. 

Methods 

• Interviewed 43 youth ages 13-18 who identified as 

Black and highly civically engaged in Los Angeles. 
15

The Everyday Fight for 

Racial Equity 

Racial Justice Motivations – Youth described feeling a 

duty to make lasting change for the Black community 

so that future generations can experience racial 

equity.

Everyday Racial Justice Work – Black youth often 

educate non-Black peers about racism and correct 

negative misconceptions about Black youth. These 

efforts can be exhausting. 

Racial Justice Movement Participation – Through 

community-based organizations, some youth 

challenge racial inequalities in schools and in grassroots campaigns. Some youth feel empowered while 

others describe being disregarded. 
16

Matthew Hudson-Flege, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor

Clemson University

2017 Grantee

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity
17

Grantee Program Accomplishments

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity

• What are the diverse groups of AmeriCorps members 

based on age, education level, and public service 

motivation?

• How do service outcomes differ among these diverse 

groups?

• How can AmeriCorps program leaders cater recruiting 

and member retention efforts to these diverse groups?
18

Andrea Robles, Ph.D.

Research and Evaluation 

Manager, 

Office of Research and 

Evaluation, 

AmeriCorps

Panelist Discussion and Q&A

Anjali Dutt, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology, 

College of Arts and 

Sciences

University of Cincinnati

Jenna Cushing-Leubner, 

Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

World/Heritage Language Education, 

ESL/Bilingual Education

College of Ed Inclusive Excellence and 

Diversity Coordinator

UW Whitewater

Matthew HudsonFlege, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor

College for Behavioral, Social 

and Health Sciences

Clemson University

Anita Chikkatur, Ph.D.

Associate Professor,

Carleton College

Laura Wray-Lake, 

Ph.D. 

Associate Professor 

Luskin School of Public 

Affairs

University of California, 

Los Angeles 

Civic Engagement and 

Racial Equity

Brian Coleman, MBA

Equity and Career Coordinator, 

Faribault High School

Pang Yang, MEd

Executive Director

MN Zej Zog / Lub Zej Zog Project