Community-Owned and Managed Research

 CEEJH has adopted the Community-Owned and Managed Research (COMR) framework for community-driven research developed by the West End Revitalization Association (WERA). The COMR model evolved from the lived experience of WERA members and communities to address environmental injustice particularly inequities in community planning and development at the local level in Mebane, North Carolina. COMR centers community needs. COMR requires that the community be funded directly as the sole PI and project manager of research activities. This allows for research questions and studies designed to be tailored to the community’s desired outcomes. This paradigm allows for equity in terms of power and resource distribution. The hallmark of COMR is also central to CEEJH’s justice-focused scientific approach: data and information are collected and utilized for action, inpowerment, liberation, and social change. 

See publications for additional resources.

 
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The Struggle for Basic Amenities in Mebane, North Carolina

The West End Revitalization Association (WERA) is a community-based organization located in Mebane, North Carolina. WERA focuses on addressing the lack of basic amenities and infrastructure in distressed African-American communities in Mebane and other areas in the Southeastern United States. Dr. Wilson has worked with WERA to train community monitors to assess home and neighborhood infrastructure and to advocate for change.