Troublemaking as Responsible Action: Building a Freedom Dreaming Institute

• In Event: Writing New Imaginaries Through Critical Consciousness, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, and Self-Determination

Abstract

How does one mitigate against inequalities that afflict society? One way is by building resilience in the community especially among those bearing the brunt of such affliction. Thus, this panel argues that one form of concrete action that can issue from accepting greater responsibility for social problems is to build critical consciousness through establishing synergistic cross-institutional school-based collaborations. One such collaborative, local-knowledge making initiative between high school students, general and special education teachers, guidance counselors, education faculty, and dis/ability liberation activists is the ‘Troublemakers’ project. Informed by Shalaby’s (2017) work on teaching love and learning freedom, this student-led alliance promotes intersectional perspectives on dis/ability by confronting how gendered and racialized labels of motivation, intelligence, and behavior are assigned in schools.

Authors

• David Bwire, The College of New Jersey

• Rebecca Schwartz

• Mark Hopkins

• Bridget McManus

• Sierra Sierra Winder, Rutgers University - Newark

• Ariana Rolon, The College of New Jersey

• Joely Torres

• Lisbeth Disla, The College of New Jersey

• Lauren Shallish, Rutgers University - Newark