Methodology

  1. Focus groups: We invited a cross-section of Black community members and organizations to participate in focus group sessions facilitated by two lead consultants contracted by ACCEC. The sessions employed a standardized set of questions to review the Black Justice Strategy’s recommendations in accordance with the study’s objectives. In total, 13 focus groups were held with the following stakeholder groups: Justice professionals, Black lawyers, Elders, members of the public (2), victims of crime/women, community leaders (2), incarcerated individuals (2), Black youth, general public (2) and Black 2SLGBTQ+ refugees. Focus group participants were largely recruited using ACCEC’s organizational networks. We reached out to over 50 organizations in various regions of Alberta, extending invitations to participate in our community consultation through focus groups or surveys. In total, 141 individuals participated in our focus groups, conducted through in-person, online, and hybrid formats.
  2. Online survey: Running concurrently with our focus group sessions, we administered a survey to community members and groups throughout Alberta. Our survey provided a medium of participation for individuals who could not attend the focus group sessions. Our survey was a slightly adapted version of the Strategy’s community questionnaire, as we added a few demographic questions to understand the regional profile of respondents. For example, our question “what region of Alberta are you located in?” enabled us to monitor the circulation of our survey across cities in Alberta. In total, 98 respondents completed our survey.

Afrocentricity as a guiding principle

Our methodological approach was guided by the principles of Afrocentricity, which seeks to center the agency of African peoples, acknowledging their cultural importance, social value, political aptitude, and historical relevance. Afrocentricity informed all aspects of our consultation process, helping us establish guiding protocols of communication and engagement with the stakeholders we engaged. It also aided us in instilling an ethos of care and respect in our dealings with participants, liaisons and other personnel who were integral to the successful execution of the consultations. Below are our guiding principles, informed by the values of the Afrocentric research traditions.

  1. Centrality of African/Afro-Caribbean worldviews: We sought the wisdom of community Elders from six regions within Africa and the Caribbean, as well as the Black Settlement Community in Alberta. Our Elders shared advice on how to approach the study in a manner that preserved the personhood and dignity of our participants.
  2. Intentionality: A key guiding principle for our engagements was illuminating the diversity of Black communities. Thus, we consulted with several Black community stakeholders (noted above). Our sample also boasts a diversity of age groups, as both young and elderly people participated in the focus groups.
  3. Holistic approach: Adopting a mixed-methods research approach offered different avenues of participation and also sought out different sub-communities within the Black populace to allow for a comprehensive depiction of Black perspectives within Alberta.

Data collection, safety measures, and ethical considerations

Our lead consultants conducted the focus groups over a two-week period. Each session was scheduled for 3 hours. To encourage informed participation, all participants were sent the recommendations prior to the focus group. At every session, we emphasized important details about confidentiality and data protection, stressing that identifying information will not be included in any part of the report. Participants also signed an informed consent before the session began. Additionally, we obtained permission to record all sessions, informing participants that the recordings were being used for data analysis. We also explained our process for data storage, stating that the transcripts and audio files would be stored on a password encrypted hard drive that can only be accessed by the lead consultants. We used a semi-standardized template of questions to solicit participants’ insights on the recommendations, adjusting our style of inquiry as necessary to effectively engage various groups. Our lead consultants transcribed the focus groups verbatim and developed a coding scheme consisting of 10 main codes. They also coded the first two focus groups to identify emergent themes in the data, after which they adjusted our engagement protocols to further explore these themes in subsequent sessions.

Recognizing the need to foster a safe and supportive environment for all participants, we embedded trauma-informed care into all aspects of our consultation process. This was evident, for example, in our style of questioning, probing and following-up. It was also evident in the ground rules and protocols we established to guide our sessions. We emphasized mutual respect as a guiding principle, exemplified by giving each other sufficient time to respectfully express their opinion while granting others the same opportunity. We also scheduled periodic breaks where needed. With the exception of incarcerated individuals, we ordered food and refreshments as a gesture of appreciation for our participants’ time. Finally, in cases where participants shared challenges, they sought support for, we provided information and resources as best we could.