Triaging the Last Public Good: In Dialogue With Du Bois, Washington, and Freire

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Marginalized Identities and Liberatory Frameworks for Justice in Teaching, Learning, and Workforce Policies

Abstract

In this session, we propose a framework anchored on the theoretical works of W. E. B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and Paulo Freire, refocusing on the purpose of education. We contextualize their theories–drawing from contemporary scholars such as Antonia Darder and Betina Love–synthesizing literature on the purpose of education and re-envision it within current political, historical, and racial climates. As a remedy, education must become more practical, liberating, and empowering from the perspective of those it aims to serve and thus focus on individuals' substantive and educational needs. This repair means eschewing cosmetic discussions that may fall susceptible to hindrances–replicating repressive forces through education–which Du Bois, Washington, and Freire earnestly warned and worked to actualize.

Authors

• Efrain Brito, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

• Xavier J. Monroe, AAAS Fellow @ National Science Foundation

• Anthony Muro Villa, University of California - Riverside