Voices at the Intersection: Exploring the Roles of Race and Gender in the Pedagogies of Black Male Special Educators

• In Event: 42.056 - Teacher Identities: How Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Inform Pedagogy and the Sense of Belongingness

Abstract

Increasing racial and gender diversity has been an urgent goal in many professions and education is no exception. Though the call for more Black men is a worthy one, many challenging questions arise when one considers the country’s sociohistorical record. The purpose of this study is to explore some of these questions that arise as one probes the call for more Black men in the teaching profession, particularly as these questions relate to their racial and gendered identities. Using intersectionality as a conceptual framework, interviews of seven Black male secondary special educators in New York City public schools are analyzed by employing grounded theory methods and invoking the African-American oral tradition via narrative inquiry concepts.

Authors

• Patrice Elizabeth Fenton, University of Miami

• Addae Cox, NYC Department of Education

• Kareem McQuilkin, Hunter College