Breaking Down Institutional Barriers to Voice and Unearthing Possibilities for Young People With Intersecting Identities

• In Event: Voices of Disruption: (Co)Constructing Educational Possibilities Through Intersectional Collaborative Frameworks of Resistance and Imaginings

Abstract

In 1984, Audre Lorde asked, “What does it mean when the tools of a racist patriarchy are used to examine the fruits of that same patriarchy? It means that only the most narrow parameters of change are possible and allowable” (Lorde, 2018, p. 1). To this end, there is an inherent problem with using outdated language, policies and practices to reach the intentional goal of including more student input in classrooms, schools, districts and wider educational communities. When conducting my research on student voice, agency, and empowerment, I leaned on Lorde’s words to frame a conversation about student autonomy, affirmation, emancipation and liberation that does not rely on the antiquated language (tools) of the oppressors (school personnel, student voice researchers, etc.).

Historically, research and school practices and policies commonly portray “student voice” as a monolithic, all-encompassing representation of all students and a recipe for change. This is problematic for many reasons, including that some groups of students (able bodied, academically successful, etc.) may be considered by teachers, administrators, and researchers as already having a voice. These students belong to historically dominant groups (e.g., White, heterosexual, cisgender, middle and upper class) and can and have been safely and effectively speaking up and giving their opinions in classrooms and schools (Ellsworth, 1989) for a long time. There are, however, a majority of students for whom this has rarely been possible and safe to do without facing repercussions (Yannuzzi & Martin, 2014). This study drew from intersectionality theory to understand the ways in which youth with intersecting, marginalized identities experience “voice” in high school and how their complicated and nuanced experiences point to a new imagining of what student voice can mean.

This research employed a visual methodology consisting of interactive workshops, photovoice, photo narratives, and photo elicitation interviews. Student participants shared their understanding of voice, agency and empowerment through visual representations (ranging from doodles to screenshots, photographs, and more). They met together in workshops and independently with the primary researcher to parse out the meaning behind the visuals that they shared. The results of this research revealed a narrow conception of what it means for young people to experience voice, agency, and empowerment in school. Findings pointed to a clear need to shift from calls for more traditional concepts of student voice. When participants shared their experiences, they primarily discussed education spaces where adults were not present (or were not centered). They talked about creating spaces outside the traditional concept of school/education spaces. Instead of finding ways to contribute in already existing spaces, they discussed their experiences creating their own.

This research expanded upon a more narrow approach to eliciting students’ voices and provided a way forward to research and understand the varying school experiences of students with intersecting marginalized and multiply situated identities. It also expanded the notion of “school” and provided clear ways that young people can (and have been) participating in out of school and community spaces in productive and meaningful ways.

Author

• Dana Marie Brown Cincis, Empowered 2 Advocate