Sore Winners: Teacher of Color Leaders Shifting Conceptions of Racial Justice

• In Event: Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice: Purposeful Counterspace to Heal and Grow

Abstract

Purpose and Objectives
This study examines the experiences of teacher of color leaders (TOCL) at ITOC and their evolving understandings of racial justice in the face of challenging political and economic climates. Our research aims to:
1. Explore the racial justice beliefs of TOCL and how they have changed over time.
2. Investigate the role of racial isolation in TOCL's professional journeys.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of collective memory work in responding to these experiences.
Theoretical Framework
Our research draws on scholarship exploring spaces of possibility and fugitive practices (Harney & Moten, 2013; Walsh, 2015) that resist oppressive educational systems. We employ Walsh's (2015) concept of fugitivity, involving strategic escape and refusal that undermine dominant structures. This framework examines how TOCL assert agency and escape the denial of joy imposed by inequitable systems, while grappling with the emotional burden of holding others' struggles. We build on the work of Kohli & Pizarro (2016) as we explore TOCL navigating systemic oppression, achieving costly victories, and carrying collective trauma while striving for change.

Method and Data Sources
We, a Black woman and an Asian woman, employ critical discourse analysis of a memory work session (Haug, 2008) with two Asian-American TOCL. The participants, with whom we share long-standing organizer relationships, and researchers attended a national conference for teachers of color. During guided collective memory work sessions, the participants present memories marking shifts in their racial justice understanding. This approach enables collaborative analysis of our experiences, deepening insights into racial harm and resistance. Our established relationships and shared backgrounds as TOCL enhance the depth and authenticity of the study, which focuses on uncovering complexities in our evolving understanding of racial justice.
Results
Preliminary findings indicate that ITOC centered on the needs of TOCL, supports their racial justice work. For instance, the ITOC conference served as a fugitive space where participants could openly discuss the emotional toll of their work, leading to the creation of new support networks and collaborative strategies for self-care and sustainable activism. Our research highlights the significance of addressing racial isolation and the emotional weight they hold as educational social justice leaders. Participants discuss how they navigate the emotional burden they carry when providing support to other teachers of color. The study reveals the contradictions that arise as TOCL engage in racial justice work, facilitating the recollection of marginalization and renewal of collective purpose.

Scholarly Significance
This research contributes to the field by centering marginalized experiences and resistance in educational settings, fostering possibilities for sustainable systems to support social justice leaders. It demonstrates collective memory work's potential for TOCL to wrestle with shifting racial justice understandings, while exploring decolonial pedagogies and fugitivity in reimagining educational practices. By addressing the need for sustainable transformative change through reimagining alternative spaces rooted in care, trust, and interdependence, this study provides insights into the ongoing struggle for racial justice in education. Focusing on TOCL experiences and efforts to sustain leadership capacity in oppressive systems, this research offers pathways for meaningful change, advancing our understanding of creating more equitable and just educational environments.

Authors

• Angelina Momanyi, University of Minnesota

• Verna Wong, University of Minnesota