Anti-Blackness at School: Creating Affirming Educational Spaces for African American Students

by Joi A. Spencer, Kerri Ullucci, Tyrone C. Howard (Foreword by), James A. Banks (Editor)

Overview

While schools often are framed as places of neutrality and fairness, many American schools have harmed Black children or been silent in the face of their struggles, under-education, and mistreatment. While there are undoubtedly adults in these spaces who support Black children, many others ignore Black families, minimize students’ concerns, and believe that colorblindness will solve the problem of inequity in education. Embedded in everyday realities, the authors outline the many ways anti-Blackness shows up in schools. Drawing on more than 44 years of equity work, they provide concrete, doable, and meaningful ways in which teachers and administrators can create Black-affirming spaces. Written for pre- and in-service teachers and others working with Black children and youth, Anti-Blackness at School explores both the scope of anti-Blackness and how teachers can reject racism.

Book Features:

• Provides interracial perspectives from authors Joi Spencer, a Black woman from California, and Kerri Ullucci, a White woman from Rhode Island.
• Uses case studies, activities, lessons, and techniques to talk about anti-Blackness, inventory its presence, and take steps to address the harm caused by it.
• Calls out how school policies, programs, belief systems, and customs are particularly hostile to Black youth.
• Explains why diversity work is not synonymous with antiracist work, offering a model focused on justice and equity.
• Directs practitioners to easily accessible resources that will allow them to challenge racism and uplift Black youth in their care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807767566
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	11/25/2022
Series:	Multicultural Education Series
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	349,280
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Joi A. Spencer is professor of mathematics and incoming dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Riverside. Kerri Ullucci is an associate professor of education at Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword James A. Banks x

Foreword Tyrone C. Howard xv

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction: Where We've Been (We've Been Here Before) 1

Where We Are Going 2

On Our Collaboration 5

Acknowledging Concerns 8

Organization of the Book 10

No Place at the Table 11

Our Intention for the Reader 11

Part I Foundations of Anti-Blackness

1 Foundations: Anti-Blackness Defined, Ancestry, and a Common Language 15

Race and Racism: Some Foundational Ideas 15

Building on the Past: Ancestry 17

The Complexities of Anti-Blackness 24

How Can Racism Be Countered? 28

Anti-Blackness as Moral Failure 30

Pushing Ahead: Addressing Questions and Confusions 31

In Conclusion 34

2 Anti-Blackness in Schools: Overt Hostility and Ignoring Black Intelligence 35

Overt Racial Hostility 37

Ignoring Black Intelligence 39

Some Stories 48

The Physical and Mental Toll of the Deficit View 52

In Conclusion 53

3 Anti-Blackness in Schools: Omissions and Whitewashing, Centering Athleticism Over Intellect, and Adultification 55

Omissions and Whitewashing 56

Centering Athleticism Over Intellect 67

Adultification 76

In Conclusion 82

PArt II Black-Affirming Possibilities and Doing the Work

4 Imagining Black-Affirming Spaces 87

Creating Homeplaces 89

STEM Academies: An Overview 90

A Day in the Life of the Academy 90

Intention as Our Philosophy 91

Hallmarks of Black-Affirming Spaces 100

In Conclusion 101

5 Tools for Building Black-Affirming Schools 102

A Schoolwide Inventory 103

A Teacher Reflection Tool 104

Interview Prompts for Black Youth and Families 107

In Conclusion 110

6 New Paths in Professional Development 111

Module One: White Middle School Teachers 112

Module Two: Curriculum Planning Teams 112

Module Three: New Teachers 113

Module Four: Mathematics Educators 114

Module Five: Whole High School Faculty 115

Module Six: Social Studies Teachers, K-8 116

Module Seven: Secondary English/Social Studies Teachers 119

Module Eight: Any Grade, Teaching Faculty 119

Module Nine: Whole Middle School Faculty 120

Module Ten: Administrative or Mental Health Teams 122

Final Thoughts 122

7 Resources 124

Recommended Books 125

Learning Circles 132

In Conclusion 138

Postscript 139

Appendix 142

Notes 146

References 148

Index 164

About the Authors 172

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“If antiracism advocates are serious about eradicating racism, there needs to be an explicit and unapologetic focus on anti-Blackness. Spencer and Ullucci boldly lay out a blueprint based on theory, research, and solutions that offer us a path forward. Just as anti-Blackness is learned, it can and must be unlearned.”
—From the Foreword by Tyrone C. Howard, Pritzker Family Endowed Chair of Education, University of California, Los Angeles

“A book about co-constructing Black-affirming communities in schools, Spencer and Ullucci unapologetically call out anti-Black racism as a pernicious attempt to maintain white supremacy. Merging pedagogy, leadership, and policy, this is a resource-rich book showcasing exemplary practices designed to support educators in their work to create educational contexts where Black students actually desire and deserve to be. Pushing beyond broad diversity discourses, Spencer and Ullucci place Black youth and communities at the very center of their analysis as they make powerful recommendations for district, school, and classroom transformation.”
—H. Richard Milner IV, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

“This book is a sobering reminder that the systems of White supremacy and anti-Blackness will adapt in whatever ways are necessary to maintain racial hierarchy and dehumanize Black people. It is also a strong reminder that we must tell necessary truths and be unflinching and unequivocal in our efforts to protect Black humanity.”
—Danny Bernard Martin, professor, University of Illinois at Chicago