“Even Though It Felt Counterintuitive”: Exploring the Negotiated Identity of Black Women Science Teachers

• In Event: Reclaiming and Negotiating Space and Identity

Abstract

In order to survive (not thrive), marginalized teachers of color, such as Black women science teachers (BWSTs), negotiate their identity (Agee, 2004) due to the racial bias they experience that positions them as outsiders (Delpit, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1996) even within their own area of content-expertise. This qualitative research study utilized semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with 14 BWSTs. Black Feminist Theory and Endarkened Feminist Epistemology helped guide the development and presentation of the data, while PVEST helps the researcher determine how BWSTs make sense of their various worlds and how these sometimes contradictory worlds impact their ability to maintain a healthy sense of self. This paper has implications for humanizing teacher development practices and building a Black science epistemological perspective in schools.

Authors

• Alexis Riley, New York University

• Elisha Arnold, New York University