“The Whiteness Is Thick”: Predominantly White Classrooms, Student of Color Voice, and Freirian Hopes

• In Event: Discourse on Social Justice-Focused Opportunities for Engagement

Abstract

This paper considers the importance of a “raced politic” and students of color when leading discussions about social justice in predominantly White college classrooms. The essay highlights the ways unchallenged White supremacy limit socially-just practice. The author also discusses the ways student of color voice informed by a raced politic can serve as a pedagogical tool. Finally, drawing on the work of Freire (1970), the article offers a conceptual framework for understanding and promoting student of color voice in the work of social justice.

Author

• Kirsten T. Edwards, University of Oklahoma