“We Want to be Seen, not Surveilled”: Black Students Telling Their Side of the Story

• In Event: Unforgetting Deficit Depictions: Disrupting Education Systems of Injustice to Unlock the Hidden Geniuses

Abstract

Research on Black students in K-12 schools has exposed how anti-Black animus deeply ingrained in U.S. society shapes educational opportunities for Black students resulting in deplorable access to high-quality schools, inequitable curricular representation, excessive disciplinary measures, and more (Ladson-Billings, 1994; Payne, 2008). While this body of literature has been instrumental in complexifying and illuminating educational inequities inflicted on Black students, they frequently position Black students as passive subjects of analysis rather than active participants in identifying harm and shaping solutions. This study seeks to center Black students as hidden geniuses; seldom recognized knowledge producers, whose narratives and insights about their experiences in K-12 schools are essential to improving
educational spaces for Black students. This study utilizes Black student voices to provide nuanced understandings of Black students in school experiences, and garner practical insights into how schools can improve their servicing of Black students. This work examines the importance of renewing, repairing, and reimagining education systems for equity and justice requires deep inquiry, critical self-reflection, and innovative approaches that challenge existing structures and practices. It involves confronting inequities, rethinking power dynamics, and fostering collaborative environments that support all learners, especially those historically marginalized.

Author

• Jaleel R. Howard, University of California - Riverside