Race, Class, and Belonging: Debating School Desegregation in Gentrifying New York

• In Event: 41.084 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 41.084-3 - Mapping the Margins of Marginalization: School Closing, Space, Place, and Educational Policy

Abstract

In this study, I closely examine the discourse used to debate school desegregation policy initiatives in gentrifying areas of New York City. I draw on ethnographic observations and document analysis to explore public conversations about school segregation and desegregation, including community forums and town halls; NYC Department of Education meetings with community stakeholders; and local media outlets. While policymakers, administrators, and community activists describe gentrifying neighborhoods as “exciting” opportunities to pilot school desegregation strategies, these same proposals are frequently met with fierce opposition by gentrifying families currently advantaged by New York City’s school choice system. In their debates, desegregation advocates and opponents alike use coded language to discuss what it means for schools to belong to a community and what it means for families to belong at a school.

Author

• Alexandra Freidus, New York University