“It’s a Village Mentality”: Centering Community Members’ Histories and Education in a Shifting Black Suburb

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Shifting Demographics and Policy in Rural and Suburban Contexts

Abstract

This inquiry analyzes the histories and education of three African American individuals in a predominantly Black Midwestern suburb we call Harrison. Using the theoretical framework of the Communally Bonded Education Model (CBEM) and a thematic analysis of interviews with the participants, we examine how adults created a communally bonded space for the participants as children amidst the community’s shifting demographic and economic context over a thirty-year period. Participants' emphasis on the impact of intergenerational relationships in their life provides insights for how Harrison, and other communities like it, can revitalize and repair communal spaces for Black children today. Additionally, this inquiry also adds to the literature on majority-Black suburbs through centering community members’ voices.

Authors

• Nicole R. Misra, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Jerome E. Morris, University of Missouri - St. Louis