They (Won't) Erase Us: The Criminalization and Resistance of Disabled Black American Activists in Education

• In Event: Intersectional Pathways: BIPOC Resistance and Repair in Academic Spaces

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study examines how systemic criminalization intersects with race and disability through the lived experiences of disabled Black American activists. Guided by Black Disability Threat Theory (BDTT), we analyze the pervasive hyper-surveillance, disciplinary exclusion, and systemic barriers within educational institutions. Through semi-structured interviews with eleven disabled Black activists, our findings reveal persistent patterns of tokenization, marginalization, and exclusion from both disability advocacy and racial justice spaces. This proposal highlights the urgent need for intersectional advocacy frameworks, inclusive educational policies, and restorative justice practices to disrupt the school-to-prison nexus impacting disabled Black students.

Authors

• Da'Shay P. Templeton, California Lutheran University

• Ta'lia Gordon, University of South Carolina