RDLIP initiated the Understanding Racism in Red Deer Survey to provide a better understanding of where, how, and why racism occurs in this community.
This study is the first of its kind in Red Deer. It will serve as a baseline for evaluating future progress on anti-racism efforts and map out a more detailed view of where and how racism is acted out in Red Deer. Furthermore, the survey touches on the impact of racism on individuals as well as how victims and bystanders respond. The hope is that the survey findings can give direction to stakeholders on areas that require additional support or exploration.
Funding for this research was provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Their support provided the resources required to develop, execute, and analyze the Understanding Racism in Red Deer Survey. Most of the questions in the survey were created by the Inter-cultural Association of Greater Victoria and the Greater Victoria Local Immigration Partnership in Victoria, British Columbia. They worked with Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), immigrants, and statistics experts to find questions that would best illustrate the beliefs and experiences of racism in their community. We appreciate their generosity for allowing us to use their survey as a framework to work from.
Direction and support were given by the Red Deer Anti-Racism Steering Committee, a group of community partners who recognize the need for a coordinated attempt to change people’s attitudes toward social issues. This research contributes to a broader anti-racism campaign, intended to reach the entire community with an inclusive message.
RDLIP enlisted the help of a research team from Red Deer Polytechnic and the community for analysis of the completed survey responses. Guided by Ezgi Sarioglu and Kristine Bugayong from RDLIP, Dr. Krista Robson provided consultation and editing of the survey in its early stages; Dr. Jones Adjei, Dr. Anomi Bearden, and Dr. Reiko Yeap provided quantitative statistical analysis, and Dr. Anomi Bearden and Dr Choon-Lee Chai evaluated qualitative survey responses for common themes. Drafts of the report, written by research assistant, Dan Ouwehand, were reviewed and revised by the team. Their expertise in scientific analysis and research methods was key in assuring that the findings reported were checked to the high standards of academic scholarship.
Appreciation is of course also due to the 665 research participants, who made time to share their thoughts on the state of racism in Red Deer. Their input is instrumental in understanding how racism affects this community, what approaches may be most effective in fighting racism, and what further study is required.
