Rural Activism in the Wake of the Murder of George Floyd

• In Event: Lived Experiences in Negotiating Diverse Rural Identities

Abstract

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, a world-wide mass of protesters demanded justice. While the summer of 2020 marked a historical rupture of consciousness raising far and wide, the stretch of its reach into small town rural life is a story left untold. This qualitative study explores the motivations and experiences of five women who organized a vigil in honor of George Floyd in a conservative Mid-West rural community. Findings elaborate the resistance encountered, strategies employed, and struggle of the women to confront the realities of racism in their home community. Implications are made for rural educators to focus on activist and coalition building strategies as educative tools of more socially just schools.

Authors

• Amanda J. Cordova, North Dakota State University

• Missy Springsteen-Haupt, Iowa State University