The 'I' in Africa: African-American Students’ Explorations of Black Identity through Travel in Ghana

• In Event: A College and Career Nexus That Promotes Access for All Marginalized Students

Abstract

Adolescence is a pivotal stage for shaping racial and academic identity, yet African-American youth in low-income urban schools often face systemic erasure, distortion, and minimization of their histories. This qualitative study examines how eight high school juniors engaged in racial and academic identity development during a diasporic educational journey to Ghana. Grounded in critical race travel pedagogy and utilizing participatory methods with visual autoethnography, the study illuminates how immersive, culturally affirming experiences can disrupt oppressive narratives and create space for Black youth to access and activate their inherent power. Findings highlight the transformative possibilities of centering African heritage and Blackness in education, allowing students to imagine new trajectories as intellectual, cultural, and global change agents beyond the constraints of U.S. schooling.

Author

• Cathryn A. Devereaux, Drew University