Mind, Body, and Spirit Revisited: Situating Community Schooling Within the Black Radical Tradition

• In Event: Beyond the White Gaze: Centering Black Perspectives on Social Justice in Education

Abstract

From community organizers of the Movement for Black Lives to Presidential Democratic
candidates (Stith & Rivera, 2016; UCEA 2020 Education Project, 2020), community
schooling is increasingly touted by various stakeholders as an important approach to address the
inequities youth and their families face. Although Black students are increasingly enrolled in
community schools in cities across the nation, nascent research takes a critical approach to
unpacking contemporary ideals of community schooling or the implications of this educational
approach to address the material conditions and realities of Black youth and their families within
schools and communities.
Moving beyond the “White gaze” and White-centric understandings of community schooling, this conceptual article presentation aims to (re)situate community schooling within the broader Black Radical Tradition (BRT), a historic tradition of Black cultural traditions, values and beliefs aimed at disrupting AntiBlackness in its various forms and maintaining the dignity of Black people (Robinson, 2000). Using BRT as a conceptual lens, the scholar dispels contemporary notions of community schooling as “new” and highlights how the philosophy of community schooling has historically been and continues to be an integral feature to the education and well-being in Black communities. Second, the researcher uses BRT to grapple with the limitations of contemporary White-centric ideals of community schooling to understand and address the unique material conditions and AntiBlack realities that Black youth, families, and communities navigate. Lastly, the researcher offers renewed possibilities and visions for community schooling as an approach to reduce harm for Black children and their families in schools and communities. The scholar leverages the metaphor of the mind, body, and spirit to both situate community schooling within this broader radical tradition as well as explore the possibilities and limitations of this philosophy for liberatory Black education and well-being. This conceptual article presentation has implications for educational policy, practice, and grassroots organizing around community schooling.

Author

• Gwendolyn Baxley, University at Buffalo - SUNY