“It’s More Than Just Knowing Your Ancestry”: How Community Educators Employ Critical Racial Ethnic Studies

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Step One, Liberate Minds: An Exploration of Research and Practice in K–12 Settings (Table 12)

Abstract

Using critical ethnographic methods, this qualitative study explores three Asian American women facilitators' experiences creating an out-of-school curriculum that blends Asian American Studies and pan-ethnic studies. It analyzes how facilitators employed a “critical, racial ethnic studies” (CRES) framework, rooted in critical pedagogies and critical race theory, to teach a multiracial, high school-aged cohort. Findings indicate: (1) facilitators relied on an expansive community network to develop and implement the program, (2) the desire to provide youth with a model of education they did not receive in P-12 schooling guided their decision-making, and (3) youths’ interests and perspectives drove programming. Ultimately, I seek to advance CRES as a guiding framework for P-12 ethnic studies, both inside and outside of formal education spaces.

Author

• Crystal Charity, University of Maryland