Black South West Network (Bristol) and the University of Bristol have launched ‘The Three-Legged RACE Approach: Charter on Co-Production through an Anti-Racist Lens.’ The initiative marks the culmination of a two-year partnership under the Research Action Coalition for Race Equality (RACE). This partnership aimed to create an ecosystem that improved access to racial disparity data for Black and Minoritised communities and facilitated equitable and anti-racist research practices.

The Charter Launch was hosted in the Arts Complex on the Clifton Campus of the University of Bristol. With the support of the University of Bristol Events Team and the Brigstow Institute, BSWN saw the event space filled with academics and community advocates alike – all of whom were united in their interest in anti-racist co-production research practices.

The launch began with Dr Barbara Brown, BSWN Associate and Trustee, welcoming attendees as the event host and facilitator. Following this, Professor Palie Smart (Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Civic Engagement) provided an opening address on behalf of the University of Bristol on the importance of equitable and anti-racist research practices in academic research. Her presence as lead for Global Civic Engagement provides considerable merit towards the University’s dedication to the Charter and its principles.

The Research Action Coalition for Race Equality (RACE) was formally born as an equal partnership between BSWN and the University of Bristol to address these concerns in a manner informed specifically by anti-racist and equitable co-production practices. Funded by the Brigstow Institute, the process of creating the Charter was in itself an example of equitable co-production. The Charter is designed to provide a valuable opportunity to redress these imbalances through an equitable redistribution of power within and across the research process via greater transparency and shifts in recognition of who holds formally and conventionally valued knowledge.