The Third Eye Stopped Blinking: Youth Finding Hope, Strength and Their Voices Through Ethnic Studies

• In Event: Unprecedented Times Call for Unprecedented Solutions: Critical Ethnic Studies as a Call to Action and Resistance

Abstract

Prior to the pandemic, #curriculumsowhite discussed how curriculum in the US still centers Eurocentric views. Through this hashtag, several examples were shared of how some teachers discussed slavery: “The Lives of Slaves: A Balanced View”, creating a poster for escaped slaves, and a McGraw-Hill textbook referring to slaves as “migrant workers” (Picower, 2021). Furthermore, she found that whitewashing the complex history of the US erases the history of oppression as well as resistance. Recently, in efforts to adhere to “anti-woke” policies, the Florida state Board of Education approved new standards for teaching African American history, which presents several falsehoods such as the enslaved benefited from slavery, the Abolition Movement, slavery existed in other societies, revising Jim Crow, and equating self-defense with mob violence (Harriot, 2023). The brazen attempt to protect white students’ feelings paradoxically continues the tradition of treating Black children (and other BIPOC children) as second class citizens. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the learning experiences of students who took ethnic studies (ES) classes and discuss what they viewed were the benefits of such courses.

Theoretical Framework

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is multidisciplinary and challenges dominant ideologies by emphasizing experiential knowledge of communities of color by privileging their experiences and conditions, and helping to analyze and reveal the ways in which race, class, gender, and other forms of oppression intersect (Yosso, Smith, Ceja, & Solórzano, 2009). While there are different tenets of CRT in education (Ladson-Billings and Tate, 1995; Solórzano & Yosso, 2001), one of the key principles is counterstorytelling (Munoz & Maldonado, 2012; Urrieta & Villenas, 2013; Baszile, 2015; Jones, 2021; Gonzalez, 2022). Delgado (1989) asserts that counterstorytelling highlights the stories of those who are often marginalized and can be a tool for critiquing and challenging the stories of those in power..

Data Collection and Analysis

The main sources of data for this study were virtual and in-person semi-structured interviews with 13 youth representing different high schools in a large urban school district in the Southwest. Inductive analysis and the constant comparative methods were utilized to systematically code data, develop categories, and address issues of connectedness (Saldana, 2016).


Findings

Students discussed how ES teachers created a safe, loving and caring classroom environment where they could be their authentic selves. Second, a number of students expressed how their teachers exhibited authentic caring (Valenzuela, 1999; Sosa-Provencio, 2019). These teachers worked tirelessly with them to improve assignments, were involved in their lives, and held high expectations by viewing students as intellectuals. Third, students discussed how their teachers utilized the curriculum to center students’ voice and to highlight counterstories of hope, resistance, and courage. Lastly, students learned about ancestral traditions, wisdoms and practices helping students connect to their cultural identities.

Conclusion and Significance

For the majority of BIPOC youth, their experience in schooling, learning and education is often dehumanizing and spirit-murdering (Love, 2019). In contrast, ES classrooms became spaces where students were exposed to their histories, traditions, and ancestral knowledge, nurtured their mind-body-spirit, and stressed humanizing, emancipatory education.

Author

• Shiv R. Desai, University of New Mexico