Do #BlackLivesMatter at School? A Collaborative Critical Autoethnography of Racial Awareness and Xenophobia

• In Event: Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender in Education: Policing

Abstract

The reality of post-racialism is an asinine concept in the world today (Coates, 2015). This research explores a collaborative critical autoethnography of women of color’s educational experiences, from the perspectives of a Muslim undergraduate student and Black university professor. The authors interpret their K-16 schooling experiences and identify ways in which education serves as both a divider and equalizer for students. Results of this study posit that education, when implemented with a critical lens, can foster praxis. In this vein, we use our collaborative critical autoethnography as a form of resistance to glean into diverse and marginalized student experiences. The results of this research posit new milieus for academic discourse, as racial “intersectionality” is explored through autoethnographic inquiry.

Authors

• Marcia J. Watson-Vandiver, Towson University

• Lyric Harris, Towson University