Curriculum Development and Abolitionist Pedagogy: Forging Pathways for Social Justice in Urban Education

• In Event: An Abolitionist Democracy: How Curriculum Serves as a Progenitor to Racial Equity

Abstract

Given the current social unrest plaguing the United States, the need for social justice in urban education is a pressing concern. To effect change in the education industrial complex (the industry of schooling), more research targeted toward curriculum development is necessary. This work explores the role of Afrocentric curriculum development and Abolitionist pedagogy in establishing what W. E. B. Du Bois called an Abolitionist-Democracy model of education. More research is needed to develop models for instruction that support the learning needs of African American students and adequately prepares teachers to teach them. Ultimately, this work provides a blueprint for curricula development that places African American students at the center of their educational pursuits.

Authors

• ANNETTE TEASDELL, Clark Atlanta University

• Greg Wiggan, University of North Carolina - Charlotte