Collaborative research can be a powerful means to include the perspectives of minority communities in research. But to be truly collaborative involves meaningful engagement throughout the research process, something that is not always possible. And there is the ever-present risk of instrumentalizing these collaborators, of valuing them only for their lived-experience and not the skills that they can bring to the project. It’s thus crucial to clarify roles and expectations of all team members, and from the very start of the research.