67.010 - America to Me: Examining Race and Schooling in the Suburban United States

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

A sharp distinction is traditionally drawn between urban and suburban contexts. Parliament’s (1975) classic funk track “Chocolate City” – with its references to “chocolate cities” and “vanilla suburbs” suggests that cities are Black and suburbs are White. However, during the past thirty plus years, we have seen major demographic shifts in metropolitan suburbs. In fact, suburbs are the most rapidly changing areas in the United States in terms of population demographics. Currently, 40 percent of suburban students are Asian, Black, Latinx, or Native American. Moreover, more than half of Latinx and almost half of African Americans in large metropolitan areas now attend suburban schools. Recent scholarship examines the implications of race and class in suburban districts and highlights how suburbs are currently grappling with issues of race, class and student outcomes that were once associated primarily with city districts. In this Presidential Session, we will enter the discussion of race in the suburbs through screening one episode of the Starz documentary miniseries America to Me. Filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself), has produced a 10-episode documentary miniseries for Starz focused on Oak Park River Forrest High School (OPRFHS) in Oak Park Illinois. Oak Park is nationally known as a racially diverse suburb with a long-term commitment to residential integration. It is also a place with deep racial divides and unequal outcomes for students across racial lines. The miniseries grapples with key issues of race and equity in suburban contexts and highlights critical challenges of keen interest to members of AERA.

Sub Unit

• AERA Presidential Session

Chair

• John B. Diamond, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Participants

• R. L'Heureux Lewis-McCoy, New York University

• Linn E. Posey-Maddox, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Eve Louise Ewing, University of Chicago

• Steve James, Filmmaker, America to Me