From local to global: A systematic literature review on African American youth social activism

• In Event: Highlighted Session: History of Student Protest

Proposal

Throughout history, activists have played a crucial role in influencing political and social change (Boren, 2019). Youth activists, especially, have continued to be at the forefront of ever-evolving global issues such as sustainable practices, human rights, climate change, and cultural diversity with not only a renewed vigor but also through novel approaches (Belotti et al., 2022; O’Brien et al., 2018; Raby et al., 2017).

At the turn of the 21st Century, the rapid pace of globalization, facilitated by advances in technology, and the emergence of information and communication technologies (ICTs), are changing the ways the youth engage in activism. For instance, the use of social media by the youth is drastically altering their modes of engagement with social and political issues not only nationally but globally (Levenson, 2023; Mwangi, 2018). As a result, youth are no longer bound by national borders (Dyrness, 2020); they can traverse space, connect almost limitlessly, and identify with others to engage with and address global issues. By organizing themselves to protest and highlight issues that not only negatively impact humanity as a whole, but also poorer countries of the world, young people are increasingly positioning themselves as global citizens (Reysen & Heckett, 2017).

Youth activism in the context of social movements is not a new phenomenon, but has a long history associated with civil and political rights activism as well as global democratic development. Furthermore, youth engagement has historically centered on different social and political issues, depending on different national and historical contexts. For the U.S. context, African American youth are known to have played significant roles at various historical moments, particularly during the civil rights movement. Such activism was aimed at highlighting issues such as racial injustice, social inequality, police brutality, among other social issues that affected African American communities directly. Much of this activism was conducted in organized movements such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Youth Council and the Southern Negro Youth Congress (Bynum, 2003; Mathews, 2009). Youth activism for racial, economic, and social justice for African American communities has continued into the present day, exemplified in the Black Lives Matter protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd in the United States.

Beyond a focus on social, economic and racial issues that affect Black communities, African American youth are also known to be active in youth social movements that are focused on addressing environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, animal rights, global inequality, etc. that have a global dimension and impact on communities around the world (Pender, 2019; Seider, 2020; Strong, 2018). By this, African American youth activists are engaged in activism that transcend nationally-driven social movement agendas and are increasingly navigating the normative ideals and values around global citizenship, with the mobilization power of social media (Anyiwo et al., 2020). As such, research that seeks to understand African American youth activism and their engagement in social movements today requires theorization that is intersectional in nature, and able to capture both the nationally-oriented dimensions of their activism and global orientations as well. This also necessitates different methodological approaches that can investigate different experiences and approaches to African American youth activism.

This paper presents findings from a systematic literature that sets out to map the multiplicity of theories and methodologies used in investigating African American youth engagement in social activism towards understanding the complexity and dynamics that come to play in: 1) navigating the terrain between racial and social issues that affect them directly in globally-oriented topics, such climate change and global inequality; and 2) the use of social media in their activism and how that facilitates engagement with both nationally- and globally- oriented social activism.

Historically, youth engagement in social activism among African American youth has been naturally focused on issues such as racial injustices that directly affect them. But, with changing trends in globalization and the emergence of social media, these youth are joining global social movements to also protest climate crises and other global challenges. The aim of the review, then, is to examine the theories and methodologies that have been used to study Afro-American youth engagement in (global) social activism, by posing the following questions:

1) How have theories on African American youth involvement in social activism evolved to take into consideration globalization and the emergence of social media?;
2) How and in what ways do the research methodologies use in study African American youth activism address the global dimensions in youth social activism in terms of research methods, and analytical and interpretive frameworks?; and
3) How is social media and other new media technologies impacting on the ways in which African American youth do social activism?

The findings show there exist a plethora of theories cutting across social movement theories, critical race theory, intersectionality theory, globalization theories, youth studies, etc. that expound on the various elements and dimensions of African American youth activism and how these are forging and nurturing values of global citizenship in them. The paper concludes that the various theories provide a discordant theoretical understanding of African American youth activism and calls for theory harmonization that provide a coherent framework for understanding youth activism among African Americans.

This paper thus contributes to a more in-depth understanding of African American youth embodiment of and engagement with youth activism and seeks to illuminate their experiences. Ultimately, knowledge will be mobilized to inform scholarship in the field of comparative and international education, and more specifically, in global citizenship education and youth activism.

Author

• Vanessa R. Sperduti, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, GW