**Published in Progress in Community Health Partnerships (PCHP) 17.2. All rights reserved.**
ABSTRACT Background: The California Preterm Birth Initiative is a community-engaged research effort focused on addressing racial disparities in birth outcomes. Objectives: To highlight three community-academic partnership strategies and identify partners’ lessons learned and recommendations. Methods: We conducted interviews (n=38), four focus groups (n=23), a document review (n=174), and meeting/event observations (n=36). We performed content analysis and structural and emerging coding of the data, which involved extracting and sorting information into themes. Lessons Learned: Five themes emerged across the strategies as essential for successful partnerships addressing racial disparities: (1) incorporate a racial equity approach; (2) value community knowledge; (3) ensure accountability to community priorities; (4) build relationships and trust; and (5) address structural barriers to community-academic partnerships. Conclusion: Community-academic partnerships addressing racial health disparities should confront internal and structural power dynamics early on and support affected communities to lead the efforts, including committing to funding and capacity-building activities to ensure research justice.