This qualitative study examined the building of a beloved community in a seventh grade life science classroom while teaching and learning in a constricting institutional context (U.S. public school). Guided by a Critical Race Praxis for Educational Research lens (CRP-Ed), the findings demonstrated how building a beloved community while situated within an oppressive U.S. schooling system, supported students and teacher toward cultivating love and trust--with a collective commitment toward social-eco justice. As a result, this study contributes toward expanding the possibilities for teaching and learning toward social-eco justice in U.S. public schools that honors students' and teachers' agency, relationships, and cultivation of critical consciousness, while simultaneously pushing back on dehumanizing schooling policies and practices.