"What Is Justice When You Black?" Black Youth Organizers' Radical Conceptions of "Justice" in Education

• In Event: 66.064 - Youth and Community Voice? Perspectives on Challenging a Racial Politics of Inclusion

Abstract

Overview: What do we actually mean when we say “justice”, “social justice”, “freedom”, and “liberation”? All too often, these words and phrases are rearticulated to reinforce the very forms of oppression we are attempting to address and dismantle (Apple, 2001; Tuck & Yang, 2018). It is critical to understand that the languages of justice and/or freedom is more times than not competing, contradictory, and even polarizing even amongst those of us who identity as activists, advocates, and/or organizers. Even though (Black) youth organizers have historically and contemporarily been at the forefront of major social movements (Hosang, 2006), their voices are often lost and/or muted in the larger narratives around what should be considered, “just”, “liberated”, and “free” and what needs to occur to begin to arrive at those sociopolitical locations. The data which derives from a larger qualitative study of education in a Black Liberation Organization (called Assata’s Children) reveal how Black youth organizers conceptualize, theorize, and practice in the scope of (educational) justice for Black students.
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework: Schools (and this world) are inherent sites of Black suffering, violence and terror (suffering (Dumas; 2014; Dumas and ross, 2016; Hartman; 1997; Sharpe, Sojoyner; 2016; 2016 Sexton, 2008; Wilderson; 2010; Wun, 2016). From this vantage point, there is no possibility of “justice” or “freedom” for Black folks in the current structure of the world. Putting forth a Black/non-Black binary, this project distinguishes antiblackness from other forms of oppression and employs Afropessimist conceptions of antiblackness as an analytic to investigate the insights and actions of Black youth organizers. Theoretically this project asks: How do Black youth organizers respond to schools that are inherently designed to destroy them? If there is no possibility of justice in the current world, what must be done in the liminal space of (non)living that Christina Sharpe (2016) refers to as “the Wake”. Black youth organizers provide us an example of what is means to do “wake work”.
Methods: This qualitative study utilizes ethnographic research methods which included: 20 semi-structured interviews; collection of field notes; journaling; participant-observation/observation of meetings, direct actions, political education, etc., at Assata’s Children; document collection and analysis; analysis of archived records and physical artifacts such as protest signs. Data analysis is still in progress. This presentation will focus on the data of the Black youth organizers at Assata’s Children.
Findings: The data reveal that Black youth organizers conceptions of justice are multifaceted. Specifically thinking about education, some called for “culturally competent” staff and teachers, better curriculum, ridding their school of cops, more after school opportunities and other changes that would affect the school directly. On the other hand, justice for Black youth organizers meant starting with abolition as the foundation. Many called for the abolishment of schools and demanded that education be done within the context of Black communities as far away from the state as possible.  

Author

• Michael A. Davis, University of Wisconsin - Madison