We examined refugees’ perceptions of their experiences living in greater Cincinnati, Ohio, USA and linked these findings to colonial context, coloniality theory, and decolonial psychology. We describe the process of developing a community based participatory research process with members of local refugee communities, and then discuss the findings of a survey completed by 280 local refugees that was collaboratively designed and administered. Noting historic and continuing disenfranchisement of the Black community in Cincinnati, in our survey analyses we compared the experiences of African refugees (Burundian, Congolese, and Somali) to the experiences of Bhutanese, Latinx, and Middle Eastern refugees residing in greater Cincinnati on several aspects of civic life. Analyses indicate that refugees from African countries reported more negative outcomes than other refugees residing in this area. Further, refugees residing in neighborhoods with a higher percentage of Black residents reported less satisfaction, likely due to neighborhood disinvestment. We discuss the costs and benefits of these findings and interpretation in the context of decolonial theory. Specifically, we connect racist colonial history to differences in treatment of refugees based on their physical appearance (i.e., Blackness) to the continued disenfranchisement of African Americans.

Increasing inequities both within and between nations call psychologists to consider whom they intend their research and practice to serve. The purpose of this article is to propose a public psychology rooted in the values of liberation psychology and utilizing participatory research methods to enact change. To exemplify this framework, we present the work of a community research partnership between academics and individuals with lived experience as refugees. All aspects of our research process, including the development of research questions and design, data collection and analysis, and dissemination and action planning, have been conducted via community-academic collaboration. Our focus has been to gain understanding of the strengths and concerns of Cincinnati's diverse refugee communities to inform actions promoting civic engagement. Refugee coresearchers successfully administered a collectively developed survey to 291 refugees in seven languages and facilitated follow-up focus groups with 35 people. Additionally, refugee coresearchers have identified three action plans based on the research findings to promote civic engagement; thus, translating research into meaningful action. This article details phases of our research process and interprets findings in the context of liberation psychology to illustrate the benefits of public psychology for academia, social policy, and community practice. We also discuss how our research illustrates the ways public psychology has the potential to not only promote greater equity but also to improve science.

Objective: Our goal was to describe the development, progress, and functioning of Civic Action for Refugee Empowerment in Cincinnati (CARE: Cincinnati) as a model for community-based participatory research (CBPR) with refugees. We conducted a participatory evaluation to assess our collective ability to employ shared power and equitable decision-making, and to facilitate structures that build member ownership and solidarity. We identify principles and processes that can be used by researchers, practitioners, and activists interested in working toward the creation of more equitable community spaces for refugees. Method: Twelve refugee research team members representing seven different countries and ranging in age from 16 to 75 engaged in the participatory evaluation and are coauthors of this manuscript. All participants were interviewed by an external researcher, who transcribed and anonymized responses. Academic researchers first developed preliminary themes and then the entire research team verified, prioritized, and expanded themes. Results: The experiences of refugee team members illustrate an iterative process of reflection and action that are both personally satisfying and encourage work for deeper change. The themes further illustrate that the CBPR process aided in developing a sense of solidarity among diverse team members and that the dynamic and participatory organization of the group fostered equitable and creative decision-making. Conclusions: Our participatory evaluation suggests that future research partnering with refugees that brings together diverse teams to share power will not only improve research quality and dissemination, but will also serve as a tangible benefit for refugee team members. The shared reflection, analysis, and action process inherent in the research process are individually motivating to refugee team members and foster possibility for transformative change. Public Significance StatementThere are increasing numbers of refugees throughout the world. Resettled refugees have several barriers to civic participation. Community-based participatory research offers a way to increase refugee voices and perspectives in civic life.

Immigrants and refugees are severely underrepresented at all levels of political decision‐making in the United States. These groups face significant barriers to civic and political participation and leadership, despite a frequent commitment to community care and engagement. There is an urgent need to address immigrant integration and underrepresentation through transformative means that go beyond voting to create a more inclusive and socially just society. We investigated outcomes associated with participation in an immigrant integration program designed to increase immigrants' access to civic engagement through a community‐based participatory research and action process that centered the voices, experiences, and wisdom of refugees and immigrants. Thirty immigrants and refugees representing at least eight different communities participated in semi‐structured interviews. Results illustrate how the program assisted in transforming participants' consciousness, skills, and relationships related to meaningful civic engagement and realizing their voice, power, and rights. These results emphasize the impact and potential of community based participatory research to transform individual and collective efficacy, consciousness, and capabilities—a vital first step in transformative justice.

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