Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy With Black and Latina Girls

• In Event: A Space of Our Own: Transforming Education, Innovating Pedagogy, and Upgrading Literacy With Black and Brown Girls in Mind

Abstract

The teaching framework of “Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy” (“CSP”) was introduced in 2012 by Django Paris. Paris wrote that CSP “seeks to perpetuate and foster – to sustain – linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism as part of the democratic project of schooling” (p. 93). CSP embraces students’ heritage while recognizing that culture is fluid and ever-changing. Furthermore, CSP is rooted in the ideological premise of cultural pluralism and schooling as a fundamental component of democracy. Establishing a teaching framework that embraces cultural pluralism is vital because U.S. schools, more than ever before, are multiethnic and multilingual spaces. In short, schools are vibrant with culture, yet indolent with curriculum and teaching practices that reflect the diversity of students. The proposed research study will examine how Black and Brown girls engage with CSP at a local elementary school in the state of Georgia. The school’s student population is 70% Hispanic and 29% Black. The research will also discuss teachers and researchers’ positionalities while creating CSP educational spaces for Black and Brown girls.

Author

• Bettina L. Love, University of Georgia