Social and Emotional Labor of Concentrated Debt: Youth Experiences of Public Transportation in Baltimore City

• In Event: Remembering the Legacy of Racial, Economic, and Geographical Injustices in the Pursuit of Educational Justice and Renewal

Abstract

This study examines the social and emotional labor Black students in Baltimore City endure while commuting to and from school via public transportation. Building on Ladson-Billings’ concept of education debt, we introduce “concentrated debt” to describe how antiblack logics and neoliberal plantation politics perpetuate a racial quarantine and undermine student status. Through thematic analysis of 164 semi-structured interviews with youth and their family members, we explore students’ experiences of sleep deprivation, fear of violence and harassment, as well as stress from overcrowded buses. Findings reveal that public transportation imposes significant emotional and cognitive burdens on participants, distracting them from academic success. These insights highlight the urgent need for equitable transportation policies to mitigate concentrated debt and promote educational justice.

Authors

• Kristy Theodore, Johns Hopkins University

• Norma Day-Vines, Johns Hopkins University

• Richard Lofton, Johns Hopkins University