A comparative reflection: Black children’s stories in the face of an uncertain future

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender Roundtable: Trajectories and Outcomes, Experiences of Black and Latiné Youth

Abstract

How do we move our communities to better protect young Black children and enact change in an unsettled education system that celebrates false narratives, erases oversight, and suppresses truth? The author uses comparative analysis to situate three Black girls’ stories of overdiscipline within the national social context of white-normed overpunishment. Stories of unfair school and carceral discipline fell into two broad categories: punishment on a whim, and punishment that does not fit the (alleged) crime. Negative, dominant narratives of Black people begin in preschool and are continually reinforced as children grow. Findings indicate that Black youth’s stories hold the power to move communities to change while also carrying wisdom about the changes that are needed.

Author

• Jadyn Laixely, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign