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Examining and Transforming Education Through Critical Arts-Based Research (Poster 15)

Fri, April 12, 3:05 to 4:35pm, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Exhibit Hall A

Abstract

Our research partnership has a longstanding tradition of learning from and with Philadelphia community organizations, particularly those who advocate for Communities of Color in South Philadelphia. In recent years, youth members of our project have increased connections to the Chinatown neighborhood in Philadelphia, where in 2022, a sports team and billionaire-backed developers announced their attempt to build a major sports arena. This presentation will share how youth of color developed an intergenerational inquiry community to answer the following research questions: What can we learn from past fights against gentrification and displacement in Chinatown, as well as from current and former Chinatown residents, while resisting the building of a major sports arena in Chinatown? What educational practices comprise the Save Chinatown movement, and how might these inform school-based learning? To answer their research questions, youth planned and facilitated inquiry groups where they collectively determined their research methods and data collection. Through historical inquiries, community interviews, and participatory analysis, youth will share how learning about the Chinatown neighborhood, while being responsive to the needs and desires of members of that community throughout the research process, resulted in both an increased understanding of the community itself and in coalitional efforts to support Chinatown residents. The group documented how community groups use culturally responsive and linguistically inclusive critical literacy practices, as well as the arts, in their organizing – a form of education schools have much to learn from. The poster presentation links education to other social justice movements and considers pedagogical implications that can be drawn from these vibrant community education spaces. It also surfaces youth’s perspectives on what it means to undertake research that is led by community priorities and situated in community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), and their practices for negotiating and embodying these ideals.

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