Place is defined by Lippard (1997) as "temporal and spatial, personal and political. A layered location replete with human histories and memories, place has width as well as depth. It is about connections, what surrounds it, what formed it, what happened there, and what will happen there" (p. 7). Thus exploring place extends…

It is not uncommon to reference dire conditions in the South to make the nation appear more racially equitable and economically advanced by comparison. In this essay, I argue that the meanings and complexities surrounding commonplace disparagement of the South are not only troubling, but serve to advance the forms of race and class power…

"New Orleans voodoo," also called "créole voodoo," is an amalgamation of an honoring of the spirits of the dead, a respect for the elderly and the spiritual life, African knowledge of herbs and charms, and European elements of Catholicism. It is a religion of ancestor worship that is unknown to us, and that we are not…

As a teaching artist in public schools, the author is paired with classroom teachers to teach poetry and to give students an opportunity to experience their academic curriculum through the arts. At the beginning of the school year, she gave her students the on-going, yearlong assignment to watch the news, to pay attention. Knowing many of them…

This article draws from a qualitative case study of 22 teachers of African American males who participated in a screening event of the documentary Beyond the Bricks as part of a community engagement project in three cities: New Orleans, New York, and Oakland Through the lenses of critical race theory and the Matrix Achievement Paradigms typology,…

The author discusses the effectiveness of popular culture as a tool for the instillation of hope within a community, using as an example the ways in which a National Football League team galvanized the residents of New Orleans in the 18 months following Hurricane Katrina. This article posits that the Saints supplied an impetus for transcendence…