Race Matters: An Intergeneration Look at Race, Place, Space, and the Black Educational Experience

• In Event: Students and Schools: Race, Class, and Gender Issues

Abstract

This study allows Black Americans an opportunity to tell their own story of school and give their perceptions of factors that influenced their k-12 educational experience. This article presents a qualitative study, incorporating historical documents and oral history interviews to collect first person accounts of the educational experiences of 48 Black people reflecting 4 different generations. The findings suggest that the cross-generational Black educational experience has been impacted by the intersections of race, place (geographical location) and space (communities they live in). The central theme of this paper is an examination of how the difference in a rural versus urban geographical location influences a student’s experience with race, racism and racial identity in the context of school and community.

Author

• Denise G. Yull, Binghamton University - SUNY