Cultivating Inclusion, Belonging, and Agency in Young Black Men Through Civic Action Research

• In Event: 25.084 - MTCC Roundtable Session Seven
  In Roundtable Session: 25.084-1 - Black Students Matter: Scholarly Perspectives on Black Student Achievement and Persistence

Abstract

This paper features insights from a two-year community-based youth-participatory action research project implemented in five Black Manhood Achievement (BMA) classes at a large, urban public high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. This paper seeks to shed light on 1) socioeconomically and racially subjugated youth as they engage in authentic community development though a curricularly-relevant project-based learning strategy, and 2) the role of youth’s sense of agency and identity development in place-making strategies and practices. Findings show that when marginalized youths’ experiential knowledge, lived experiences, and voices drive research, significant shifts register in: (a) adult relationships to and perception of youth; and (b) sense of youth agency and civic belonging, and structural civic inclusion of youth.

Authors

• Amanda Eppley, University of California - Berkeley

• Deb Mckoy, University of California - Berkeley

• Blanca G Gamez, University of California - Berkeley