Locating, Orienting, and Centering African American History: African American Parent Network Activism in White School Districts

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

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary findings from an investigation into the development, organizational features, and functions of African American Parent Networks (AAPNs) found in the predominantly White public school districts of several metropolitan Detroit suburbs. The findings are based on observations, interviews, and artifacts regarding the events, conversations, and collective organizing of the AAPN of a small, high-income, public school district. In exploring the functions of the AAPN, this paper centers its efforts and activism at eliminating a denigrating African American History curriculum, revealing the AAPN’s function and effectiveness as a community resource. This AAPN’s activism, and the changes it brought, is an example of the transformative power of home-school-community collaboration.

Author

• Chasity Bailey-Fakhoury, Grand Valley State University