Manifesting Black Joy: Collective Dreaming Toward a More Just Mathematical Future

• In Event: Expanding Theory on Teacher Noticing Through Collaborative Inquiry and Co-Design

Abstract

Objective or purpose
In a research study focused on Black joy, a group of mathematics teachers, community educators, and scholars, observed and recorded their noticings of mathematics classrooms to better understand how Black youth experience them. Participants then drew on their noticings to reenvision mathematics classrooms that both support and celebrate Black youth inside and outside of mathematics classrooms. In addition to reenvisioning Black youth’s experiences, the teachers in this study engaged in futuring (Dery, 1993; Jevtic & Park, 2021) and manifestation to collectively reimagine mathematics classrooms towards forging a more equitable future for Black learners.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework
Ladson-Billings (1994) and Love (2019) frame the collective learning and dreaming of Black and Brown communities as a powerful means of creating new and more just educational possibilities. Love (2019) highlights the value of "freedom dreaming," which supports Black youth in visualizing and existing in spaces that have historically and systematically excluded them. Similarly, Ladson-Billings (1994; 2014) advocates affirming Black and Brown youth by validating their experiences and supporting them in actualizing their dreams.
Black dreaming often culminates in Afrofuturism (Womack, 2013; McGee &White, 2021) and also Black joy which Adams (2022) defines as “a space of imagining alternative realities” (p. 200). As an extension of dreaming and futuring, this paper explores manifestation (Jevtic & Park, 2021) as a cultural practice and tool to bring about change for minoritized groups, especially in the context of Black educators and Black students. More specifically, the paper highlights how Black educators leverage their observations of mathematics classrooms to manifest a future that better serves Black learners.

Methods and data sources
Data sources for this paper include semi-structured interviews conducted with middle and high school educators and community educators. Data were analyzed thematically to identify moments that teachers engaged in manifestation or “everyday futuring” (Jevtic & Park, 2021) around Black youth and STEM classrooms. Memos were written to further expound on the findings once patterns in these topics were examined across the data. Findings reveal the participants’ motivations, experiences, and strategies for manifesting change for Black youth.

Results
The findings of this study revealed 'Manifesting Joy' as a recurring theme during data analysis. ‘Manifesting Joy’ emerged from instances where participants expressed hope for future STEM spaces to honor Black students and teachers showing up as their whole selves. Further, the educators’ manifestation stemmed from a belief that a more equitable future is only possible by actions taken in the present. For example, one teacher described prioritizing building a strong mathematical foundation for Black learners to empower them and give them the confidence they can carry into the future and utilize in ways that best benefit them.

Significance
This paper seeks to contribute to discourse about manifestation, not by examining how the word is used virally on social media, but by focusing on the experiences of Black teachers and students as they utilize manifestation as an action deep-rooted in their culture as a way of shaping a future that better serves them.

Author

• Michelle Frierson