"Preserving History for the Persistent Legacy of Our School": A Critical African American Youth Participatory Action Research Project

• In Event: Paradigm Shifts: Youth Participatory Action Research and the Disruption of Hegemonic Structures

Abstract

This study is a Critical Youth-led Participatory Action Research project with twelve African American high school students. The purpose was to strengthen students’ critical consciousness and civic leadership by investigating the rich history of Philadelphia’s Hopewell HS (pseudonym), while interrogating the contemporary sociopolitical contexts that have contributed to our community’s disenfranchisement. Currently, gentrification and displacement have many feeling dis-empowered and in want of opportunities to ensure the community’s survival. Through our partnership with Hopewell and it’s Alumni Association, we purposed to build the capacity of youth to develop critical consciousness and civic leadership, to integrate multi-modal methods of cultural preservation with new media and digital literacies, and to illuminate the voices of Hopewell HS’ alumni, students, teachers, staff, and administration.

Authors

• Ayana Allen-Handy, Drexel University

• Alysha Meloche, Drexel University

• Destiny Bugg, Drexel University