Anti-Racist Practices and Pedagogies for and Within Digital Spaces

• In Event: Circling Back and Moving Forwards in Digital Literacies Research

Abstract

Promising practices for adolescent literacies emphasize cultivating multilingual and multicultural classrooms by centering multilingual and multicultural youth populations traditionally overlooked in school curricula. As a sociocultural practice, literacy is rapidly shifting from print to digital forms, influenced by the proliferation of digital technologies. Digital literacy scholarship requires more equitable, inclusive, and accessible models that are strongly committed to anti-racist teaching. This poster supports the implementation of digital literacy practices both within and beyond traditional learning environments. It adopts an anti-racist pedagogical lens to highlight culturally sustaining practices in pedagogy and research. It provides examples of anti-racist digital literacy practices to explore intersections of literacy, technology, and education in a diverse and networked society. Using frameworks such as socioemotional learning, critical race theory in education, and racial literacy and anti-racism, the authors examine barriers and accelerators impacting this intersection between digital literacy and anti-racist pedagogies. Emphasizing culturally sustaining pedagogy, this poster presents actionable strategies that continuously redefine what it means to read, write, and communicate effectively using digital texts while addressing systemic inequities. Through this lens, the authors aim to foster equitable digital literacy practices that empower all learners in an increasingly digital society. Participants will engage with classroom and research-based examples that illuminate how digital literacies can foster justice-oriented and empowering practices across diverse educational contexts. Through fostering empathy, solidarity, and community among learners, educators can create environments conducive to anti-racist education, ultimately working towards a more just, inclusive, and equitable society for all.

Authors

• Ian O'Byrne, College of Charleston

• Shelbie Witte, University of North Dakota

• Bryan R. Crandall, Fairfield University

• Christian Z. Goering, University of Arkansas

• Jennifer Dail, Kennesaw State University

• Detra Price-Dennis, The Ohio State University

• Raúl Alberto Mora, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana