Having Real Impact: Examining a Social Justice-Oriented Mentoring Program as a Black Educational Space

• In Event: Black Scholars Experiencing and Resisting Superficial Institutional Commitments to Social Justice

Abstract

Purpose:

Historically specialized programs including college access and community-based afterschool programs have partnered with schools that serve low-income Black and minoritized students in an attempt to combat educational inequities. Despite well intentions, many of these programs are irresponsive to students’ socio-emotional needs and perpetuate rhetoric of Black and minoritized students and communities as deficient; ultimately undermining posited equity and social justice aims (Anderson & Larson, 2009; Baldridge, 2014; McElroy & Armesto, 1998). This cursory element of student-centered intervention programs echoes how superficial equity and diversity commitments targeting minoritized students and professionals within educational systems and institutions can be. In that programmatic allocations serve as mostly performative gestures, lacking responsiveness to Black people’s peculiarity. Contrary to performative and irresponsive student-centered programs and interventions are Black Education Space (BES), which according to Warren and Coles (2020) are learning spaces where students and educators experience healing and reprieve from antiblack assaults and are able to strategize resistance from antiblackness. In this study I examine the Los Angeles Mentoring Program (LAMP), a social-justice centered college access program serving predominantly Black high school students, as a BES. Being sponsored by a large Research One institution on the west coast, LAMP’s curriculum and programmatic design contending with antiblackness (in addition to academic supports) is demonstrative of—despite trends of superficial commitments—how Black scholars leveraged institutional resources to comprehensively support students.

Theoretical Framework:

This study is guided by an antiblackness perspective. As a theoretical concept, antiblackness has its genesis in afropessimistic ideology, considering the impossibility, denial, and assault of Black humanity as a structuring feature of western society and institutions. This project evaluates LAMP as a BES and thus consideration for antiblackness—how the program offers refuge and promotes resistance of antiblackness—is requisite, making an antiblackness frame appropriate for this study.

Methods & Data:

This study uses a qualitative methodological approach to examine LAMP. Specifically, programmatic observations and focus group interviews with LAMP participants were conducted to evaluate how the program adhered to, modeled, and expanded criteria of Black Education Spaces. Leveraging antiblackness as a frame of analysis, I evaluate in what ways,if any, the LAMP program functions as an opportunity for Black students to (1) heal and reprieve from antiblackness, (2) theorize and develop resistance strategies or responses to manifestations antiblackness, and (3) dream and theorize alternative futures for Black education. These criteria are modeled after the original parameters Warren and Cole (2020) offer, and contribute to further theorizing of BES.

Results:

Preliminary analysis of data suggests that LAMP (1) functions as a counterspace for participants to experience reprieve from antiblack racism, (2) provides opportunity to strategize responses to manifestations of antiblackness and (3) invites students to theorize educational spaces and practices that serve their ideas of liberation and freedom.

Scholarly Significance:

In its practices—particularly as being attentive to antiblackness—LAMP resists trends of titular diversity commitments, instead exemplifying authentic support for and commitment to Black students. Findings from this study also contribute to further theorizing BES, considering them as one mode of supporting futures for Black education and students.

Author

• Travis E. Dumas, Rutgers University