Supporting Youth Organizing to Benefit Students of Color While Working in the "Ivory Tower"

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: The Role of Youth Identity Formation in Organizing for Educational Justice

Abstract

While academics are often thought of as disconnected from their communities, there are examples of University faculty and staff who are working to support and further youth organizing in order to benefit students of color in their communities. This paper investigates two cases that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia after the incidents in the summer of 2017. In one, students engaged in Youth Participatory Action Research to implement an anti-racism policy. In another, university academics helped found a Freedom School which focused on literacy competencies through culturally relevant pedagogy while simultaneously educating students about social movements and activism. From these cases, other university staff can consider new ways to engage with their communities to support youth organizing.

Authors

• Walter F. Heinecke, University of Virginia

• Kimalee Cottrell Dickerson, University of Virginia

• Sarah Beach, University of Virginia