Anne-Marie Livingstone earns national recognition for study on racism in policing

An assistant professor in the department of Sociology has been presented with an honorary mention by Community-Based Research Canada (CBRCanada).

Anne-Marie Livingstone’s accomplishments will be highlighted at CBRCanada’s C2UExpo in June.

Livingstone’s community-engaged research addresses the problem of racial profiling by police and the over-surveillance of Black communities in Canada.

Between 2015 and 2018, Livingstone and her academic colleagues collaborated with a team of five Black and other racialized young people in Montreal to produce the first-ever qualitative study on racism in policing in the city.

Together, the team completed 48 semi-structured interviews with young people in a neighborhood of Montreal where police violence had long been talked about, yet never systematically studied.

As co-investigators, the youth led every aspect of the study, conceiving the research objectives, developing the questionnaire, holding interviews, and writing a public report.

To render the research findings accessible to a wide audience, the team produced a detailed public report, available in French on their Facebook page.

A press conference was held on December 2018 in Montreal to publicize the study’s findings, leading to significant local and national coverage, including by the CBC.

In addition to her research, Livingstone has served as an expert witness for lawsuits litigated by the Quebec Human Rights Commission and the Black Coalition of Quebec. She also received funding from the Anti-Racism Action Program of Canadian Heritage.

Her new study on racism in policing is being conducted with Black and Indigenous young people in Montreal and involves a partnership with Head and Hands, a longstanding youth-serving organization.

Sociology Chair Tina Fetner praised Livingstone’s achievements, highlighting the importance of her research.

“Her work is deeply motivated by societal justice and care for the communities of Black youth across Canada,” she said. “The research addresses the contemporary concern of police profiling, which continues to negatively impact racialized people across Canada. Her work is of utmost significance and her dedication to this area are deserving of recognition.”

CBRCanada is a national champion and facilitator of community-based research excellence, a research approach addressing challenging societal problems.