This brief explores how research can better support equity-oriented systems change by learning from Cincinnati’s Truth & Equity initiative—a place-based effort to confront structural racism and invest in repair. Drawing on in-depth interviews with seven local leaders, it offers insights into how research is often experienced by communities, what they most need from it, and how research practices and institutions should evolve to be more accountable, useful, and just.

Why This Matters

In many cities, research remains disconnected from the communities it seeks to help—often reinforcing the very inequities it aims to address. This brief sheds light on how research can be realigned to build trust, shift power, and support reparative action. Policymakers, funders, and researchers working on equity, systems change, and community-engaged scholarship will find practical lessons here.

Key Takeaways

• Research is often extractive—and harmful. Participants described deep skepticism about traditional research that “parachutes in,” extracts data, and leaves communities without results, resources, or power. Many cited how research has been used to justify harmful policies, including redevelopment and displacement.
• Communities want research that is timely, actionable, and co-owned. Interviewees emphasized the need for research grounded in community-defined priorities—data that is disaggregated, cross-sectoral, historically contextualized, and immediately usable for organizing, advocacy, and decisionmaking.
• Authentic partnerships build power and accelerate change. The most effective research efforts are co-created and relational, not transactional. Trusted intermediaries like the Center for Community Resilience play a vital role in translating evidence into action and strengthening local ecosystems.
• New models of evidence are urgently needed. Communities should be treated as co-investigators and co-authors. Their lived experience, relational wisdom, and organizing knowledge are crucial forms of evidence—and should be fully valued in both research and policymaking.

How We Did It

Following a 2024 site visit to Cincinnati, researchers conducted in-depth interviews with seven civic leaders, policymakers, researchers, and advocates. The goal was to understand their views on how research has—or has not—supported equity efforts locally. These candid conversations offer valuable reflections on how research practices can evolve to support policy-driven long-term systems change.