How Teachers of Color Promote Racial Justice in Activist Organizations: The Power of Germinal Networks

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 10:50 am
  In Roundtable Session: Educators Working to Dismantle Oppressive Structures and Enacting Radical Activism and Pedagogies (Table 33)

Abstract

Teacher activist networks are a critical support system for many teachers of Color. Our study examines the network participation characteristics of 26 activist teachers of Color across the United States using a critical social network research lens informed by Black Feminist Thought (Hill Collins, 2022) and activism. Through a macro-to-micro qualitative network analysis of data, we found that the teachers of Color that were involved in affinity-based groups and sub-groups were often the germinators of policy shifts, usually related to racial and intersectional justice in their organization. We call this network phenomenon a germinal network. This study has implications for future critical research on social networks and the design of radically inclusive and humanizing social infrastructures in education-related organizations.

Authors

• Kira J. Baker-Doyle, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Lynnette Mawhinney, Rutgers University - Newark