Black Land Matters: Exploring Place, History, Culture, and Education

• In Event: Innovative Pedagogies for Justice in Teacher Education

Abstract

This proposal highlights one aspect of a collaborative ethnography between a small group of education faculty who participated in a three-day immersive field project, “Black Land Matters: A Gullah-Geechee Field Study.” As critical educators, we were interested in learning more about regional history, marginalized communities, and the sociopolitical factors that impact them. Moreover, we were interested in exploring how to bring these themes into our work preparing culturally responsive teachers. This presentation provides insight into the impact that participation in field-based professional development experiences may have, and discusses how accuracy, positionality, and power intersect to construct understanding of history, education, and culture. We challenge our relationships to these themes to expand our understanding of humanization and justice. This study highlights the potential for community-engaged professional development experiences to guide transformative teaching and learning within and among community.

Authors

• Alexandra J Reyes, Georgia Southern University

• Peggy Shannon-Baker, Georgia Southern University

• Delandrea Hall, Georgia Southern University

• Ariel Cornett, Georgia Southern University