Over the 2024-25 school year, an unusual research team assembled in the basement home of Shorefront Legacy Center, a community archive dedicated to Black history in Evanston, IL. The research board—including faculty, staff, and students from nearby Northwestern University, students and teachers from Evanston's high school, and other community members—were tasked with activating Shorefront's archives: exploring the collections, analyzing materials, and spreading the word about their meaning and significance. This panel will discuss the research board model and how community-centered research can open opportunities for collaboration, understanding, and shared investment in the intertwined histories of "town" and "gown."