Home: Using Radical Love as a Liberatory Practice to Cultivate the Voices of Black Girls in the Music Classroom

• In Event: I Said What I Said: Celebrating Black Women’s Voices Through the Genius of Black Girlhood

Abstract

This paper highlights the history of Black women in nurturing a homeplace in schools for Black children (Love, 2019), and emphasizes the importance of cultivating these environments that double as fugitive spaces (Reynolds 2019) for Black girls exploring their identities and voices without judgment. Drawing upon Abolitionist teaching, Hip Hop Pedagogy, and Black feminist theory, the presenter introduces radical love as a necessary component to disrupting oppressive narratives that prevent Black girls from embracing the fullness of their authentic selves in the music classroom. Placing joy at the center of education for Black and Brown youth, the paper discusses the power of intention in nurturing a homeplace that is not only inclusive and supportive of Black girls' voices, but also encourages them to challenge societal norms and find their unique sound. Moreover it explores the ways in which a homeplace that is anchored in radical love can be developed in choral classrooms and voice studios.

Author

• Ashira Mothersil, Teachers College, Columbia University