Black Immigrant Youth and Narratives of Connection

• In Event: Supporting the Educational Success of Immigrant Students: Strategies for Inclusive Learning

Abstract

In this design-based research study, 17 Black immigrant youth (BIY) participants from several West African nations engaged in a three-week podcasting program. A primary goal of the study was to explore the nature of the narratives that participants would author in response to dominant discourses. Findings revealed that BIY authored layered narratives of connection, where they angled for connection among themselves as learners, and for connections based on their shared African ethnicity and their identity as members of the Black diaspora. Participants also authored narratives highlighting the disconnect they feel when their identities are not supported.

Author

• Neisha Terry Young, Stony Brook University - SUNY