“I am because you are.” Challenging Injustice and Strengthening Community with Families in NOLA

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 4:15pm
  In Poster Session: The Parent Power and Leadership Project: Transforming Families Through Community Organizing

Abstract

1. Objectives or purposes
This case study provides an informed, multi-faceted portrait of Ubuntu Village NOLA as a community-rooted force for transformative justice. Ubuntu Village, a Black-led community-based organization, empowers families to lead transformative change through advocacy, healing, and violence prevention.
2. Perspective(s) or theoretical framework

The word Ubuntu, rooted in the histories of the Zulu people of Southern Africa, emphasizes the importance of community, interconnectedness, and shared humanity. Ubuntu Village NOLA embodies “I am because you are,” by empowering families to navigate and influence the system as informed partners through education, policy advocacy, and community‑led programming. Oftentimes, families, especially those directly impacted by the juvenile justice system, are not given the space or opportunity to advocate for social, economic, and transformational justice for their children and communities. This case study highlights the ways in which Ubuntu emboldens families on their journey.

3. Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry

This study utilizes a qualitative ethnographic approach to capture observations, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of relevant materials produced by the organization and parent leaders over a two-year period.

4. Data sources, evidence, objects, or materials

Data sources include field notes from workshops and events, organizational documents, and transcripts of interviews and public forums, as well as interviews with four lead families, two interviews with children, one family focus group, and three staff interviews.

5. Results and/or substantiated conclusions or warrants for arguments/point of view

Findings demonstrate that Ubuntu Village is forging meaningful change in New Orleans through parent-led movements that center building agency, forming relationships, and healing the community. Engaging families experiencing the juvenile justice system, Ubuntu supports families in understanding the importance of civic engagement through participatory action, including leading legislation processes in the capital, community giving back events, and family fun days. Raising discourse on the interconnected roles of race and poverty in juvenile justice cases, Ubuntu leaders believe their work supports members of their community in understanding and taking “ownership of their own power.” Ubuntu’s work is multifaceted. Families are given tools to build their civic engagement, i.e. workshops and hands-on training. Parent-leaders are encouraged to become navigators, equipping other families with tools to advocate, voice concerns, and make meaningful decisions.
Additionally, there is a focus on prioritizing joy and embracing the cultural richness of New Orleans by supporting families’ mental wellness, including healing excursions.

6. Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work

Ubuntu operates under a public-health model, recognizing the symptoms of deeper structural harms that often systematically impact low-income Black families that must be addressed collaboratively. This case study will document the ways in which Ubuntu’s community-centered focus on social, economic, and transformational justice is by offering family advocacy, leadership development, violence intervention, and restorative alternatives to families in New Orleans. This is significant as their stories are often silenced, and their experiences ignored.

Author

• Danielle M. Perry, New York University