"They Realized Violence Was the Only Way": On Silencing Black Youth and Simplifying Racial Histories

• In Event: Intersectionality in Teacher Education Within Program and Content Areas

Abstract

This paper uses Black Feminist Thought to examine how learning spaces can uphold racialized and gendered oppression. It analyzes how one teacher sought to hold space for students to interrogate historical topics of personal interest and contemporary relevance. It also calls in adults who, perhaps in an effort to position themselves as eyewitnesses to history, silence the voices of Black students seeking to make sense of historical and contemporary racism and racial violence. This was the case for Cierra, a young Black woman. The authors contend that it is insufficient for content to be “diverse” and “inclusive,” but it must also exemplify nuanced interpretation and critical analysis. They conclude with suggestions for secondary history educators to counter erasure and oversimplification.

Author

• Eliana Castro, University of Vermont
  Presenting Author