The "Educational State": Black Youth Activist's Meaning-Making of Educational Inequity in Detroit

• In Event: 43.062 - Serving the Post-Truth Era: Black Youth's Pursuit of Educational Quality in Detroit

Abstract

In order to best grasp the Black youth education activist narratives centered in this paper, it is important to have a base understanding of the context of Detroit. Detroit, Michigan was once thriving, highly populated, and full of commerce and employment. Due to neoliberal policies, racist undertakings, and intentional attempts at siphoning Detroit’s political power, caused Detroit to be a city that is unearthed in disenfranchisement and disinvestment (Khalifa, Douglas, Chambers, 2015, Sugrue 1996, Wilson 2015). Despite this troubling reality, there are still vibrant community members who have not only fought for the life of Detroit, but have also exhibited “…a deep sense of critical care given their involvement…related to seeking social justice in public educational arenas and standing up for inclusion, representation, and the nurturing of Detroit’s students’ well-being and success” (Wilson, 2015, p.19). In my study with Black youth activists are aware of this disturbing reality and have spoken to how Detroit has made decisions about them without the context dependent knowledge to make such decisions.

I argue that Black youth activists utilize notions of greater state theory which help guide their assessments of their educational experiences within Detroit and inform their activism. Further examination of Black youth’s narratives of their educational experiences speak to how the state is not only white supremacist in nature, but also used as a tool of power to ensure compliance unless moved by the resistance of the community. Bracey (2015) established that the CRT of State is instrumentalist in that it views “…the state as an inherently white supremacist tool under whites’ collective control” (p.557). Moreover, “the CRT of State consistently identifies the source of state power and specifies how relative power influences the relationships racial groups have to the state” (Bracey, 2015, p.555). Similarly, the “state” or the educational state, reify the sources of power to be white controlled which dictates how the “state actors” influence policy to further the inequitable education of Black youth in Detroit.

This study questions, how have Black youth activists in Detroit created space for their exemplification of community control of their educational system? More specifically, how is the location of Detroit particularly important for community control discussions of urban educational systems? Interviews and participant observations for over a year-and-a-half have informed this work, specifically in the discussion of Black youth activists’ assessment of state control of their schooling systems. Findings of this study indicate Black youth activist’s knowledge of educational policies that have created such repressive environments and lack of access. Additionally, this study highlights how Black youth utilize such information to guide how they engage Detroit’s educational landscape to achieve greater educational equity. Such findings have implications for the need of larger advocacy of community control from educators, researchers, and policy makers. Furthermore, how urban educational contexts require specific tactics and research to gain larger educational equity.

Author

• Naomi Mae W., University of Michigan - Ann Arbor