For this episode of Campus Voices, we were joined by Professor Yasser Payne, Black American Studies. He came by to discuss his research in the Eastside and Southbridge neighborhoods of Wilmington, DE, and his upcoming research in the Northside and Westside neighborhoods. Payne has been conducting his research using the Street Participatory Action Research (PAR) method, a model that goes back to research done by social psychologist Kurt Lewin in 1946.
Payne trained 15 residents of the communities in which he was doing research to become his research team. That is the essence of the Street PAR research model: not just developing information about a community but also training members from the community to conduct graduate level research, provide the team with the tools to better, not only themselves, but their communities. In this project, Payne selected team members who had experience in the streets and the criminal justice system.
Payne’s research into the effects of violence in the Eastside and Southbridge neighborhoods has provided valuable insight into the lives of these communities, potential policy changes, and social action plans. Payne and his team present their research in the gripping documentary film The People’s Report.
Check out the interview below to learn more about Street PAR, his upcoming research, his documentaries and Professor Payne!
Listen to the Interview
Yasser Payne, recorded April 26, 2016. First aired May 5, 2016.
29:53
28.7MB
Learn More
For more information about Professor Payne and the work he has done, check out the links below:
- Professor Payne’s Official Black American Studies page
- “Walk with me” : a TEDxWilmington talk about community development given by Professor Yasser Payne.
- “Can Payne End Violence?” : Delaware Today, Sept. 2013, by Mark Nardone.
- The People’s Report : a documentary film by Professor Payne about the effects of violence in the Eastside and Southbridge communities.
- The Streets of Harlem: a documentary film by Professor Payne about structural violence in Harlem.
Photo Courtesy of Kayla Baptiste