Using Participatory Mapping to Explore Narratives of Race, Space and Belonging Among Black Young Adults in Evanston

Background

In 2020, the combination of highly visible acts of violence against Black individuals and a global pandemic disproportionately impacting communities of color led to widespread outrage and protest, igniting demands for systemic change and institutional accountability for racial discrimination. These calls for racial justice led to legislative and policy changes in state and local governments, universities, private corporations, and public institutions. At same time, this social and political shift was met with significant backlash, with increasing efforts to restrict discussions on race in schools and workplaces, the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and legal challenges to race-based policies. Reparations has been a particularly prominent topic of national racial discourse. In 2019, Evanston, Illinois became the first city to establish a reparations fund and is currently in the process of administering its first program, which focuses on ameliorating the lingering impacts of housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. While the program has been celebrated as a groundbreaking step towards racial justice, it has also garnered significant criticism.

Methods

For Black young adults, these competing narratives contribute to a complex and often contradictory process of meaning-making as they navigate their racialized experiences in an era of sociopolitical uncertainty. This project explores how Black young adults make meaning of their racialized experiences in the context of these evolving sociopolitical dynamics. Specifically, it examines how they navigate competing racial narratives and how their sense of race, space, and belonging is shaped by the reparations discourse in Evanston.

Findings

Drawing from narrative identity theory and Black feminist thought, this study conducts two rounds of participatory mapping to examine how Black young people construct their identities and make meaning of their lived experiences. For the first round of data collection, 20 participants (23-30; identify as Black; have continuously resided in Evanston since 2020) are asked to construct a "map" of Evanston, which is then used as a guide to understanding how their sense of space influences their narrative identity. Besides prompting participants to include meaningful spaces (work, home, recreation, etc.), the form and content of the map is left up to the participant. Following the initial analysis of the individual mapping exercises, participants are invited to follow up focus group sessions. These focus groups serve as a platform for presenting preliminary findings, inviting feedback, and engaging in a collaborative round of participatory mapping. Participants collectively construct a map of a future Evanston where Black residents feel a full sense of belonging.

Conclusions and implications

This presentation reflects on methodological insights derived from employing participatory mapping as a tool for narrative inquiry. Participatory visual methods, such as the mapping method described in this study, allow access to diverse forms of knowledge creation. The combination of the tangible map, the process of (re)creating the map, and the researcher-participant interaction creates opportunities for critical reflexivity, creating a robust framework for exploring how experiences are articulated and reinterpreted over time.